Huntinn Time: Wizards and Heroes Beginnings
by tolliver-j-mortaelwyver
Summary: As Finn and Artetris Huntress Wizard try to summon the Forest Spirit to hunt and stop a forest evil, Finn and she must settle their rocky but shared past.
1. The Hero and the Huntress Wizard

Author's Note:

Hello all! Thank you so much for the favorites and kind reviews! Anyone who has seen the finale should not worry. Finntress was alive and well there, just subtle as it has always been since Finntress was never a fluff pairing. A little bit of a romantic would have been nice, but it was not the end of the world. If you like Finn and Huntress Wizard together, then they are together. It's that simple. I see so many people saying "Oh, they didn't get together!" but they weren't broken up...so...technically Finn ended with Huntress Wizard if you choose to see it that way, and I do. I loved their little casual thing as it felt like the type of relationship meant to grow strong and permanent with time. And that's how I shall be choosing to write it.

I hope that you enjoy the next part of the series! It's all Finn and HW this go round, shared past an all!

~Tolliver J. Mortaelwyver

Disclaimer: This is purely a work of expressive fiction. I do not own the characters or Adventure Time

* * *

I.

Finn remembered her clearly… The female wizard from Wizard Battle…

Huntress Wizard.

He wondered if somewhere in her wizard mind she still hated him…for how he and Jake treated her so long ago…

 _"_ _Cheater!" the leaf haired wizard cried, grabbing him and throwing him to the ground._

 _Finn's mind drew a blank as he spaced out. What the heck had just happened?_

 _The stadium lay far behind them. The Wizard Battle was done. The fun had passed, and the kiss with Bubblegum was his and gone. He already missed it…_

 _Jake shielded Finn from the female wizard's assault as her arrows flew. She hissed at him like a beast in anger. Jake flinched but stood his ground while Finn stood and balled his fists. His blood boiled. What the stuff was this chick's deal?_

 _His own angered gaze met hers, and they growled at one another like children. The anger and hurt in her green, cat-like eyes flickered clear. But he did not care. Bubblegum's kiss had been his to win and not hers. He drew his sword and pointed it at the wizard. She snarled and levitated her arrows._

 _"_ _What the heck's your deal?" Finn exclaimed, throwing his arms open and leaving himself unguarded. An arrow flew for him, but Jake smacked it aside. Finn growled and pointed his sword. "Look. I'm sorry I cheated! Okay? I just wanted to stop the Ice King from cheating…and then things…got complicated."_

 _"_ _I don't care!" she exclaimed madly, throwing her arrows again. Jake moved he and Finn from their path. The wizard fell to the ground, crying. "You took my chance to claim top spot. I needed that kiss as proof of my power. I…I will be strong enough to defeat anyone and anything that crosses me! I won't lose to this world!"_

 _Finn scratched his head as he watched her pound her fists to the ground in anger. This chick obviously had problems. He then suddenly remembered this wizard and Abracadaniel's words about her._

 _"_ _T-that's…H-huntress Wizard," Abracadaniel had told him. "No one bothers her. She's a nasty fighter. Family drama, anger, and all that… Nuh-uh…"_

 _Finn dropped his arms and felt a pang of guilt well in him._

 _She was the one they had stopped from killing Ice King in the arena, the one they had sucker punched and knocked flat. She was Huntress Wizard, a warrior like him but magic. He remember how she had pointed at him before passing out and being carried off the battlefield._

 _She stayed on her knees in a calm but eerie silence broken only by her broken sobbing. Finn rubbed the back of his head as he watched her fume. This wizard's beef was all his fault. He had to make it up to her._

 _"_ _Come on…" Finn said, trying to soften the wizard's defeated blow. "I'm not getting why power means so much, but I can say that you're a pretty radical wizard. You don't need a trophy to prove it. Who's going to care? They come and go. Just enjoy the battles for fun…like we do!"_

 _"_ _Yeah!" Jake agreed, holding out his fist. "You tell her straight bud!"_

 _They fist bumped and laughed. The Huntress Wizard glared at them but stayed silent. Finn put his sword away and walked to her with his hand held out to help her up. She briskly slapped it away and stood. Finn rubbed his hand and glared._

 _"_ _Hey!" he exclaimed. "That. Was rude!"_

 _"_ _I can stand fine on my own!" she exclaimed, wrapping herself in her cloak and turning away from him. "Tell anyone that you saw me crying, and you're dead… I'll let you off with a warning…"_

 _She paused dramatically and then glared back at them._

 _"_ _Step on my toes again, and I'll hunt you to oblivion," she said. Finn pouted. "I refuse to be perceived as weak. I'll forge my own path in this world…the path of a mighty wizard. And don't you forget it."_

 _The Huntress Wizard stormed away, and Finn leered after her in boredom. She transformed into a hawk and flew away. Once out of sight and earshot, Finn shot Jake a look and heaved a sign._

 _"_ _Man," he said. "Can you believe it? Some folk can get so dramatic."_

 _"_ _Yeah," Jake said, shooting him a blank look. "I can sure think of a few people. Finn."_

 _Jake whispered a mocking imitation of Finn from the Wizard Battle while smiling._

 _"_ _Ahheeeeee!" Jake whisper screamed while stretching far above Finn. "No one kisses Bubblegum but meeee…"_

 _Finn glared at Jake and walked off. He did not have to listen to his brother's antics. Jake laughed and stretched after him, grinning. Finn shot him a look and kept walking towards their treehouse home in the distance. Jake playfully chuckled, and Finn finally laughed._

 _"_ _Dude," he giggled. "You are such a jerk."_

Finn chuckled to himself as he remembered him and Jake going home that night and celebrating Finn's "victory" with BMO…only to never kiss Bubblegum again. How stupid had he been? Huntress Wizard ignored his laughter as she sat quietly in meditation, seeking guidance from the Great Oak on where to begin playing his flute. Finn's face softly flushed as he admired her and the discipline of the skill. Meditation was hard when your mind ran everywhere, sometimes in circles.

He leaned back against his own tree and recalled his time in Egress. The rushes of the river's flow, the winds' gentle combings and songs on the leaves, the odd chatter or complaint of an animal or two—meditation had been easy back then with his eyes closed shut, a necessity even. Finn heaved a deep breath and wondered if he could feel a state of Egress once more, of the good times he had had there before being forced to leave them behind for his own home where he could be with his friends forever.

Finn closed his eyes once again, expecting to see Egress, expecting to finally see her at least once like he had wished for so long. Only images of Huntress Wizard formed in his mind instead. Finn's eyes popped open to find her still in meditation, and he gulped.

He recognized the feeling inside him quite well.

Huntress Wizard's long, leafy hair fluttered in the breeze as she sat completely still against the Great Oak. Her long legs crossed with great flexibility, and her palms rested in an interlinked upwards position at her core, probably one for spiritual magic. Her breathes heaved in near stillness, a reflection of a mind unfettered by the woods around them.

Finn felt his body tingle as it had with their meeting in the river. His head spun with madness.

He had to stop. He couldn't go down that path with her. She…was not that type of girl. She had hired him for a job, and he needed to perform it and not waste time, not her time. Not again…

She was not a princess. She was not a girl who needed a hero…

 _Finn calmly read the Enchiridion._

 _"_ _Regarding the Mysterious Symbiosis Betwixt Heroes and Wizards" he read to himself. Finn yawned and flipped the pages. "THE MOST IMPORTANT THING a Hero Wannabe needs to find is a Wizard Mentor—somebody adept in magical arts (or somebody with major smarts), to send the Hero Wannabe on Heroic Quests, Missions, Voyges, Journeys, Expeditions, Travels, Campaigns, Adventures…"_

 _Finn's head started to hurt as he read._

 _Lame… Finn thought. Prubs was not a wizard, but she did all those things! The book was bonk…_

 _Finn's eyes scanned the next lines._

 _"_ _90 percent of the time, Heroes are just gofers for lazy Wizards…" Finn hummed at this but quickly shrugged. Being a gofer to Princess Bubblegum meant fun. Finn scrolled past the more tedious text for the bigger section. "WIZARDS AND HEROES SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G FOR ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER CANNOT BE."_

 _Ugh. Finn imagined kissing a wizard. All the ones he knew were male._

 _"_ _That's gross man…"he mumbled._

 _"_ _Gross, right?" the book seemed to answer, and Finn hummed. "I mean, who needs to hear about Heroes and Wizards kissing? However, it does convey a Manifest Truism: HEROES AND WIZARDS NEED EACH OTHER. WITHOUT A WIZARD, A HERO IS NOTHING. AND VICE VERSA."_

 _"_ _Hmm," Finn hummed, shutting the book and setting it on the grass; he stood up and then sat on it._

 _He couldn't bear to read anymore. Still, the book had given him an interesting idea. What if he and Jake went out to find a wizard, one that could read the book for them? Since Bubblegum was neither wizard or hero, they couldn't show her. They'd need a real wizard to comb through the text and tell them what was what, a trustworthy wizard._

 _Ice King?_

 _Finn blew his breath and laughed. No way would they ask Simon. That would just turn out annoying._

 _Abracadaniel?_

 _Finn hummed. Abracadaniel could possibly work. He was a nerdy wizard desperate for company. Surely he could be suckered into ready an ancient text…! But…his magic kind of sucked._

 _Finn pondered and pondered but could not come up with a thing. He didn't know too many of the wizards… But perhaps Jake did. Finn stood up and placed the book in his backpack before turning towards the treehouse and heading for the door._

 _Jake would surely know somebody. He always had the right answers!_

 _Jake trembled behind Finn as the female wizard hovered her arrows around her and glared towards them. Finn groaned. He had not been expecting HER to be the one Flambo summoned. In fact, up until seeing her and remembering their last unpleasant experience, Finn had all but forgotten that she existed. The wizard glared at them while they stared at her blankly._

 _Huntress Wizard._

 _Finn hummed as he pondered her full name. Things had definitely changed since the old days of Wizard Battle. She seemed calmer…but hardened. Finn scratched his head nervously as he fully remembered the female wizard before him—his old enemy from Wizard Battle. Over a year had passed since that fight, so he had almost forgotten her…but she had clearly not forgotten them or their "transgression". She shot him a cold, hard gaze filled with contempt as her arrows floated above her head. Jake shuffled nervously behind him but seemed ready to act should he deem it necessary._

 _"_ _I owe you a few good holes in your head for jilting me in Wizard Battle a year ago," she snarled before putting the arrows away and standing. "But…I won this year's, so I'm not a wizard in the mind of holding a grudge over old news, least the madness drive one to evil. So what is it you want, Hero?_

 _Finn cleared his fourteen-year-old throat for her and bowed his head. He had to do this right and coolly least he give her the wrong idea. She huffed at him but continued to acknowledge him. Finn held up the Enchiridion and began._

 _"_ _I asked for you so that we could talk about this," Finn started. She dully took note of it and nodded. Finn spoke on. "According the Hero's Handbook, Heroes and wizards are like glue…like two sides of the same coin. And we were thinking that we should find a wizard…who's not Ice King…to help us comb through this book. It's supposed to be really important, but we…like…don't have time to read, yo. We searched around and spoke with the wizards we knew, but none of them…uhhh…had the right fit. We really want a top notch wizard for hire who can really hang on an adventure…and you were…uh…recommended. So…yeah."_

 _Finn put on a nervous smile as she glared at them in boredom. He uneasily tapped his fingers against the book as he suddenly felt a jolt of attraction to Huntress Wizard shoot through him. He immediately thought of Flame Princess and wondered if those feelings were wrong or normal. Huntress Wizard looked, admittedly, attractive._

 _She continued to remain silent as she just stared at them, and Finn slightly blushed. Jake hummed at him, and he shuffled his feet nervously._

 _"_ _I figured we could do what the book says and be a hero and wizard pair," Finn blurted out, not really capable of thinking another way. "It'd be fun…?"_

 _Huntress Wizard stared at him dully._

 _"_ _You trying to die, kid?" she asked him coldly, once again levitating an arrow. Finn's face flushed as he wondered what he had said wrong. Huntress Wizard scowled at him and pointed. "You think you can just call me here and ask me out? Like I'm supposed to just answer 'yes' because you're Ooo's hero while I'm a wizard? Get real."_

 _"_ _Wait!" Finn exclaimed, shaking his hand. "I…I didn't mean it like…"_

 _An arrow flew towards him, and he ducked. Huntress Wizard scoffed and walked off._

 _"_ _Whatever you meant, I'm not interested," she said. "I'm not trying to have my branches burned off by that Fire Elemental you're dating. Bug off."_

 _"_ _Wait" Finn exclaimed, hurrying after her._

 _She shot him a scowl, and he froze in his tracks. Huntress Wizard glared and refaced him._

 _"_ _Don't chase me," she growled. "I don't like to be hunted. Not unless you have my permission…and you don't."_

 _"_ _I'm not trying to hunt you," Finn said, rubbing the back of his head. "We just wanted to hire a wizard like the book said. We thought…"_

 _"_ _That book is ancient!" Huntress Wizard said, placing her hands on her hips as she stood contrapposto. "I'll bet not a single page of it mentions a female wizard. I wouldn't put any faith into that old thing. Protect it to be sure because it's a dangerous tome if it falls into the wrong hands, but forget it as a handbook. You don't need a wizard."_

 _She then turned away and kept walking. Finn pouted but heaved a sigh of relief that she had not turned violent. She suddenly stopped, however, and shot him another cold stare. Finn gritted his teeth, half expecting an arrow to come flying his way, but it did not._

 _"_ _You don't need a wizard," she repeated, "anymore than I need a hero. And don't you forget that…Finn the human."_

 _With those words, Huntress Wizard walked off and vanished amongst the forest trees. Jake heaved a sigh of relief while Finn heaved a sigh of disappointment. Who was going to read their Enchiridion now? Finn stuffed the tome back in his pack and hitched a ride with Jake who stretched them high to leave their meeting place in the forest behind. As the two of them walked off, they spoke._

 _"_ _That got more intense than expected," Jake remarked. "You really need to work on your dialogue with the ladies, especially a proud lady like Huntress. But whatevs man. She probably makes a good point. That book is old. We've been fine without a wizard before. Let's stop looking before Ice King catches wind of the hunt and decides to never leave us alone."_

 _"_ _Yeah man," Finn said, looking back at the forest before turning his gaze forward. "You're right. We should just keep things the way they are. Still, having a smart wizard around probably would have been handy. Ah well. At least we have each other. Ha! Let's head to the Candy Kingdom and see if Prubs has something for us to do."_

 _Okay!" Jake exclaimed, stretching higher and picking up their stride._

 _As Finn and Jake both laughed, he thought no more of the Enchiridion or of Huntress Wizard. Who needed either? Not them. They would simply keep having adventures as always, have fun that would never end…_

That was right. Finn thought to himself as Huntress Wizard suddenly opened her eyes and stood. She beckoned for him to rise and follow her through the brush. Finn nodded and stood, following after her in silence. All the while, he told himself what she had told him back then.

Huntress Wizard was one who needed no hero. She was clearly a hero of her own thing.

"Don't dawdle," Huntress Wizard commanded, suddenly drawing Finn from his trance.

"Oh, right," he said, slightly blushing. "Sorry."

Finn hurried his pace to better match hers, and Huntress Wizard returned her gaze forward with a huff and said no more. So many things bounced in Finn's head as he watched her briskly stroll with agile turns as she plowed forward.

How had they never crossed paths since the old days? How had he forgotten her so easily? Was it because of the city? Had she been living in the city the whole time? And if so, why had she come back to the forest now?

Did something trouble it? Would she need help? Could he help? Or was that why she sought out the Spirit of the Forest? Why exactly did she seek the Spirit so anxiously?

So many questions ran through Finn's head! But was it his place to ask? Or was it better to let her lead and trust her gut? Could he trust her gut? What if it was crazy and wrong?

Finn watched her closely as he thought it over. As she wove around, and sometimes through, the trees he heard her speak to them under her breath, denying something as if the woods spoke to her of some embarrassing topic. Inside, he laughed, for it reminded him of Simon, the Ice King, albeit in a scarier light; for unlike Ice King, Huntress Wizard was focused and smart…like PB but in a more mystic manner.

If she wanted to, she could kill him.

But he could kill her right back…if he had to. Finn hummed; he really hoped it would not come to that. She seemed fun. A smile broke through from his thoughts, and he decided.

Trusting her until she proved untrustworthy would be his best course of action. After all, not all wizards were evil. That's what his fat basket told him. Satisfied, Finn let the questions fade from his mind and took note of the trees. If she chose to abandon him once done with the spell, he'd have to find his way.

The deeper they traveled, the heavier the air felt as if teaming with magic will. Where they were going, he wondered, but he could feel the denseness of the thick growing around them as if they traversed into the very heart of nature itself. Finn took a deep breath and smiled.

The whole thing reminded him of Egress on a good day and the challenge his journey there had allowed him to conquer not as a child but as a man, a strong man. The whole thing reminded him of her, the mysterious woman of Egress who had sheltered him and given her love in the form of extra blindfolds, the occasional meal, fur for keeping warm, and a wrap to hold that fur in place. Indeed, it was for her why he played his flute, an ode of mourning for his lost…

….Huntress.

Finn suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Huntress Wizard took no note and kept walk for a bit before realizing he had stopped and facing him with frustrated hands on her hips. Finn gulped as he stared at her, his Huntress… The one who was real…

"Hey," she called out to him from where she stood. "What's your deal, dude? Why are we stopping? Come one…"

Finn's mind raced in competition with his heart.

 _Oh. My Glob…_ He thought. It could not be her; it couldn't…

Finn suddenly found himself thrown to the dirt by a half-angry, half-concerned Huntress Wizard. As Finn lay on his back, staring up blankly at her for a good look at her, she folded her arms in defense before turning away.

"Sorry," she said coolly. "I thought you might have grown roots. Just checking."

"Sorry, sorry," Finn said calmly as he picked himself up and dusted his clothes. This was definitely her. Finn cleared his throat and attempted to come up with something impressive yet believable for his joining out. "I didn't mean to stop so abruptly. I just remembered something important, but it can hold off until we've summoned the Spirit of the Forest for you. Where are we going exactly? A…mystical grove perhaps?"

"It would be easier to show than to tell," Huntress Wizard said. She suddenly grabbed his arm and leapt off into the trees. Finn slightly blushed as the young woman carried him along without looking back once or with any signs of visible effort on her part. Her eyes focused on the path ahead, she threw him across her back as they landed on a branch, and she leapt off to the next without skipping a beat. "We're starting the hunt at the sacred part of the forest, an ancient tomb with a number of summoning circles. That's the best place to begin."

"Okay, sure," Finn said coolly, trying to sound normal as he held her tight, not wanting to fall from the trees. Several other…things…ran through his mind, and he ignored them. "You lead, and I and my eager flute will follow."

"Cool," Huntress Wizard replied, almost sounding satisfied and impressed. "A will of steel… That's a fine ingredient for a summon spell. We should be done in no time…barring any spiritual stubbornness on HIS part. Hopefully not…"

Finn listened and wondered carefully about the spirit as the old sacred tomb slowly came into view. Was he a good kind of spirit or an evil kind? And what exactly was his relationship to her? Would he be…competition?

Finn closed his eyes and quickly buried the thought. No, not competition. He could not think like that, not with her. She needed him to summon the Spirit of the Forest, and regardless of their relationship, that was what he intended to do. No more games. No more rewards and conquests.

No more…Egress.

Just Huntress Wizard. That much, he could manage. At the very least, he would try.


	2. Lady of Egress

II.

Huntress Wizard sighed.

"We'll keep trying various spots until we find the proper one," she said, leading them through the wood nymph temple. "We're on the verge of this. I can feel it. We just need to figure out what's hampering the spell. Your music is fine, but it could be missing that extra special something. Let's keep playing the tunes around these great halls a little while longer; the right one could harmonize the sounds of nature with your notes and play the key song."

Finn silently agreed and made no attempts to add his own thoughts. He did not know as much about magic or the temple as she did, after all, and he wished to trust her judgement. Even so, he worried that they were wasting time there and that she would end up with nothing but disappointment. So far, not much had happened.

Several days had passed since their meeting and with no luck whatsoever from his spell. His flute's song had echoed out through the sacred temple's halls and grounds in countless ways, yet not a single song had made the Forest Spirit appear. Some spirits had definitely appeared, like animal spiritual guides and some old ancient souls but not the Spirit of the Forest himself, much to the frustration of Huntress Wizard. Finn scratched the side of his face nervously but shot her a reassuring smile as their eyes met. Huntress Wizard nodded back to him and returned her eyes forward.

Finn hummed to himself and looked away from her as he thought of his own huntress, his love, from Egress.

 _No clothes. No food. No luck. Finn shuddered on the ground…defeated once again. His grass arm struggled to wrap around him, but it, too, had grown weakened from failed hunting, the cold, and fatigue. If he did not open his eyes now…he'd probably die. But was it better to go on trying to flee Egress or to just lay down and let death take him? He could not decide._

 _A set of feet suddenly smashed the ground before him, a set of boots. Finn weakly struggled to push himself up to face whoever had found him, but his body felt too weak even for that. He collapsed and finally decided. Dying would be better than going back to face Egress again. If he could not escape as he knew how, there was no hope for him._

 _The bootsteps approached him. He heard the sound of a bow and its string as it stretched. Finn took a deep breath. He was ready._

 _Another set of feet suddenly dropped to the ground from behind him, more boots but smaller. Fabric shuffled towards him, and Finn suddenly found himself covered in cloth that kindly chased the cold away. His body grew tense and his face warm as he realized that somebody had come and covered him with their body, a woman's body against his naked form. He breathed heavily but remained calm._

 _The being with the heavier boots snarled._

 _"_ _Diatris, get out of the way!" the female archer exclaimed. "He's had it. To let him go out in the dirt like that, cold and hungry… It's cruel. Just put him out of his misery…"_

 _Finn wanted to speak, but his couldn't. He had not even the strength for that. In his mind, he wondered—why not help him instead of watching him wander around to die?_

 _"_ _Can't we just send him home, Mom?" Diatris, the girl covering him, asked without moving. Finn flinched. That kind of help would ruin his efforts. He just needed food in addition to something warm and maybe a blindfold or three. "Everyone is looking for him, Finn the Human. They're all scared that he's dead…"_

 _"_ _If he wanted to go back," Diatris's mother said, "he'd have taken his sorry carcass home before he got this bad. This boy would rather die than return to his home. I don't know why or what his friends did to him, nor do I care. He's in my woods starving, unclothed, unprotected, and blind. He won't survive like that, not hardly. Even his grass arm has conked out on him."_

 _"_ _I heard rumors that Finn lost his sight to a magic dungeon," Diatris spoke on, ignoring her mother's urging. "We cannot allow such a thing to destroy him, not this way. As guardians of the mystic forces of these woods, it's our duty to help him…Mom. If I am to succeed you, then I must do so following the drive of my own hyleo-will."_

 _"_ _You're following something alright," her mom retorted, stomping them ground, clearly in frustration. Finn gulped. "I'll not have you falling for this half-beaten welp. If he cannot stand on his own two legs, he's not worth your time."_

 _"_ _He can stand, Mother," Diatris argued. "He just needs help for now."_

 _Diatris's mother griped silently and said no more as her feet turned, probably to hide her frustrations and contempt from her daughter's stubbornness._

 _Finn gulped and tried not to move anymore than his body already had. Diatris's warmth brought him comfort, and he liked that. Still, it felt like a bad idea to try and touch her with her mom standing by on guard, ready to fill his head with arrows… Diatris suddenly stroked his hair and pressed her head against his, much to Finn's astonishment. He couldn't hold it back. He gently bumped his head against hers, and she laughed. Diatris's mother groaned and shot the ground beside them. Finn gulped and froze._

 _Diatris's warmth suddenly left him as she was snatched up and away. Instinctively, Finn reacted. His body's strength returned, and he stood, ready to attack on instinct. But only for a moment did this occur as his legs quickly wobbled under him and sent him down to his knees. Diatris's mother cried out in alarm, and the sounds of Diatris's fabrics reached Finn's ears before he felt them return in a warm embrace…at least before Diatris smacked him. Finn held his face where she had hit him and blushed._

 _"_ _Idiot!" she screamed. "My mom was about to kill you just now!"_

 _Finn struggled to move his mouth and apologize, but nothing came out. He heard Diatris chuckle a laugh before her hand ruffled his hair. Inside, Finn felt confused but somewhat relieved that she was not mad at him. Maybe he had done good._

 _Diatris's clothes ruffled as if turning to face her mother._

 _"_ _You scared him," she said. "You snatched his warmth…and probably the only friend he has had in a while away, and his hero code kicked in. Can we help him now? He proved that he can still stand on his own. He just needs a bit of guidance to see his soul through its trial."_

 _Diatris's mother hummed, not with disdain but suspicion as if she did not trust her daughter's motives. A long silence passed before the guardian heaved a sigh and, surprisingly, relented._

 _"_ _Fine," she said. "We'll take him to the temple and heal him up there. Teach him what he'll need to know to survive and sense…and put that grass arm of his to good use…and after that, he'll be on his own. No rendezvous with you."_

 _"_ _Alright, alright, fine," Diatris relented, suddenly scooping Finn up and cradling him. She was strong; Finn felt his body reacting and he blushed. Diatris laughed while her mother said nothing. "You're an eager Finn, aren't you. You're really going to lose it once we bathe you. You stink."_

 _Finn moaned, and she giggled. Cute. They suddenly started moving along at a steady pace, and Diatris continued talking._

 _"_ _I can't wait to show you the temple," she said. "I know that you won't be able to see-see it, but you'll feel it, and you'll never forget that feeling as long as you live. After that, we'll fix you up for the wild, and let you go from there. Consider it your dungeon freebie born of your conviction."_

 _Finn smiled and leaned his head against her. Again, she butted heads with him and held him close as they walked forward. Exhausted, Finn felt himself slowly slipping off into sleep as he enjoyed the rocking and the warmth of his mysterious savior. Before his mind went blank, he could have sworn that he felt her kiss him on the forehead and speak._

 _"_ _I'll save you, my Finn…" he had heard her say in a low whisper. "I'll save you and bring you home…"_

Finn played his song for her, his huntress. The one he had lost and been forced to leave behind to her own Finn… His grass arm played its own twisted accompaniment as his two hands' fingers played their notes in harmony with Finn's vision of the only forest spirit he knew. Huntress Wizard soon stopped him and kept them both moving forward to the next location. Finn sighed, for he wished to return to "the spot" and keep playing their song until his heart and flute could break no further. How he missed his Diatris…

But he had a duty to fulfill, a task to see through. He'd have to work with this Huntress Wizard until her task was done. Only then could he go back to his strong, silent heartbroken routine.


	3. Moving Forward

I thank those who have left such kind and insightful reviews! I hope that you all enjoy chapter 3! I had plenty of fun writing it...maybe a little too much fun. It might be a while for chapter 4, but I shall try to make it a good one.

* * *

III.

 _"_ _You're doing it wrong," Diatris said, grabbing his legs and doing her best to set them the way they were meant to be set for the lotus position. "I think you are doing it on purpose at this point."_

 _Finn playfully unfolded his legs and leaned back to bump her with his foot. She playfully shoved his legs aside with a giggle, and Finn smiled. He really liked teasing her. It had become their thing along with many other harmless activities._

 _Finn listened for signs of Hylea and her anger but heard none. Had she left them alone? Finally? If so, why? Diatris drew him from his thoughts as she attempted to fold his legs once more into their proper position. Finn grinned and unfolded them once more. She sighed and smacked him, playfully._

 _Several weeks had passed since their initial meeting, or so he assumed since he could not see. Still, Finn could remember their consistent routine clearly._

 _They would wake up…_

 _They would retrieve the morning meals from their trappings…_

 _They would wash to clean the blood from their bodies before cooking and enjoying their meals…._

 _They would walk through the forest and listen to the songs and words of Manevus Wizard, Hylea's husband who had become one with the forest long ago for his wife's desire to live as long as it lived…_

 _They would chat with the local beasts and keep balance in the ecosystem by hunting the intruders and monsters…a very important task as it happened often._

 _They would meditate in the temple and share their evening meals there…_

 _They would play a good old game of hunt and seek to train his plant magic…which apparently flowed throughout the body he had borrowed from the alternate Finn._

 _They would talk about nothing and all under the watchful eye of Hylea Huntress who hated him a little less the more they spent time together._

 _In that time, Finn had come to know both Diatris and Hylea quite well just as they had come to know him. He had told them of his home and his Finn Sword and Bubblegum, BMO, NEPTR, Marceline, and Jake. He had told them of wizards, the Lich, and Ice King; and in turn, they had told him of their people and how different the world of Egress seemed to be, namely in that it had two Forest Watchers while his had none, not the he knew of at least. Like him, their Finn was a hero—only he originally had eyesight. In addition to that, his body had defeated the grass curse of its arm and had harmonized with its magic powers. They called him Finn the Fern-man after the vines and leaves that would spring from him in battle._

 _Finn had not liked hearing about that one bit, for Finn the Fern-man was clearly Diatris' boyfriend from the way she spoke about him. Of that, he had to admit being jealous, very jealous despite not being able to see her. According to Hylea, their Finn and he were tied; he disliked that too. Their Finn, apparently, slumbered deep beneath his will and would stay that way until the trial was done._

 _There was no escaping or mistaking it._

 _Their Finn had vanished some time before his blind reappearance. A long time ago, a similar event had occurred with Diatris. A blind huntress who called herself a different name had occupied Diatris' body after a mysterious disappearance._

 _It, thus, stood to reason that the same thing took place with him, and without him defeating and escaping Egress, their Finn would never reappear._

 _As much as Finn desired to deny the possibility of his mind borrowing someone else's time, he couldn't. Afterall, if he opened his eyes beneath the blindfolds they had given him, would he not return to Egress as if nothing had happened and reemerge from the ground before a Jake in search of him? As if no time whatsoever had passed…_

 _Finn felt a pang of frustration within him. He did not care if it were true. He liked Diatris and did not wish to leave without knowing more. He liked her. He liked spending their time together and talking, connecting over adventures in the forest and life. And she liked him… At least, she had to somehow…hopefully._

 _Finn shoved Diatris with his feet again, and she growled playfully and pounced on him. Her body pinned his to the ground. Her arms pinned his arms, refusing him movement. Finn let her stay there and laughed, his face hot with excitement as her legs tucked in and squeezed his sides…as wanted and planned. The two of them laughed and butted heads softly._

 _They stayed that way for what seemed like forever before Finn reflexively kissed her. He wanted her, badly. How long had his heart been lonely and broken. How greatly had he longed to connect with someone intimately again… Diatris paused at his actions, and Finn gulped. He had not meant to do that…not without asking…_

 _Diatris suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him back, passionately. Finn's body went tense, and he gulped as her hands made their way to his hair where her fingers ran through it… And as her lightly robed body rubbed against his loosely covered one. Taking it all in, he finally kissed her back, and their lips locked. His arms slid across the fabrics of her sacred robes, wrapping around her waist and pulling her in close before moving downward…_

 _Diatris flinched and stopped kissing him. Finn stopped and simply held her. Her breath left her while she gently shuddered. Finn gulped. The air suddenly felt…dangerous…_

 _"_ _Mom…I…" Diatris muttered._

 _Finn froze. That…explained why it felt like Death had come to take him for a ride._

 _"_ _Idiots…" Hylea's voice growled. "Not…on my watch children…"_

 _Diatris cried out in alarm and pain as she was snatched up and thrown. Finn heard her body bounce across the temple floor. He rose to act, but a swift kick met him across his head. Everything in his mind went blank…just like that._

"You're doing it wrong," Huntress Wizard complained.

Finn snapped from his trance and stared at Huntress Wizard. Right away, he remembered that the two of them were not in Egress but in the temple's spiritual epicenter, its most sacred space. Finn blinked and looked around, trying to gather himself and refocus. Had he really spaced out that badly? Lame…even if he understood why.

Diatris and Hylea had trained him there…in the other world.

Finn observed and looked around. He had never seen it before until now. Tree fountains lined the walls in a circle with openings between them that let the sunshine pour inside. They sat up high at the center of a giant oak…though not as big as the great oak. A whole network of these trees surrounded them and interlinked, forming the Gate Temple. Finn smiled. It pleased him to finally see it and understand why they had brought him there. The temple was connected to the entire forest…

Huntress Wizard smacked him on the knee with an arrow.

"Pay attention," she demanded dully.

Finn rubbed the back of his hat, somewhat frustrated.

"Right," he said, looking away from her. "Sorry."

Finn sighed and tried to focus again, but he couldn't. The section of the temple where they sat held memories he couldn't ignore, memories that pained him because she was there. He and Diatris had spent so much time in Egress meditating and talking in that very location that it seemed strange to sit there with Huntress Wizard who seemed about as uninterested in him as one could be.

Finn attempted to maintain his lotus position for the flute spell but finally dropped it in defeat; the mood just felt all wrong… Huntress Wizard growled in frustration and lightly smacked him with an arrow atop his head. Finn avoided her gaze and ignored her, his head hanging in defeat. She growled and grumbled.

"Why is it so difficult for you to accomplish such a simple task? Huh?" she asked. "What the heck is your deal? You've been distracted since we came here. If the job bores you so badly, you can leave…"

Finn's eye twitched, and he glared.

"Look, I'm trying!" Finn exclaimed, hating how she nagged him. Diatris had never nagged…

Huntress Wizard glared, clearly disliking the tone in his voice. Finn grabbed his head in frustration. The memory of Diatris rubbed him in all the wrong ways. Why was the huntress of his world so different? He wished to ask, but she always blocked him from asking her personal questions with cold stares and silence in response towards his attempts. He felt like her enemy despite having agreed to help her…

"Can't I just sit the way I'm used to?" Finn remarked, trying to take his mind off of it…and failing. "Wouldn't that be more natural? I have to be in the right mood to hold this pose, and this spot's just not doing it for me. I was never that good at this, anyway and the person who taught me said my normal pose was fine for meditation and harmonizing…"

"That person was soft," Huntress Wizard retorted, leering angrily.

Finn had to muffle a snicker; if only she knew towards whom her insult of softness referred. Huntress Wizard glared at him, and he returned her gaze with equal sternness. He soon looked away, not wishing to start a fight. Not there…

"Whoever it was that let you learn an improper form was unkind," she said, her arms folded boldly. "It might have gotten you by with whatever they had you doing, but it's not going to fly here. If you are going to do something, then do it right. So… The lotus form is like this."

Huntress Wizard demonstrated the cross-legged position where her legs completely interlinked with toes pointed skywards. Finn felt himself twitch as he examined her body and legs closely. They looked well-toned and nice. And her boots looked cool and cute!

"Your legs are longer than mine," he remarked, folding his arms with indignation. "I think that should be taken into account."

"Your legs have nothing to do with it," she said, almost screaming as she placed her hands on her hips while still holding her legs steady. "What is wrong with you all of a sudden?"

"I just don't get why the way I'm holding my legs is important," Finn remarked, hoping to avoid a long and embarrassing discussion. "I can feel the forest just fine without the 'proper' pose. I've been taught enough for that. I had to be to get out of Egress."

"Egress didn't require all of that," Huntress Wizard scoffed.

Finn's frustrations with her slightly faded with the new information. He looked at her in disbelief and interest. What did she know about Egress? When…had she been there? Huntress Wizard folded her arms and looked away.

"I've been there," she remarked. "Right before I left for the city…. It was a long time ago…"

"Wow, really?" Finn exclaimed, exciting to have something they could talk over.

Had she been…the one who possessed Diatris? Huntress Wizard leered at him with caution. Finn ignored her. He couldn't miss this chance.

"You have to tell me more," he said. "I want to know. What was your journey like?"

"We're getting distracted again…" she complained.

"I wanna know though," Finn said, shrugging. "I feel like I can't help you properly if I can't care about your needs, and I want to. That's easy to do for a friend, you know?"

"I'll just go find another to play the flute for me," she remarked, keeping her eyes turned from him.

"Come on…" Finn said with a slight smirk, and she eyed him curiously. He leaned back onto his arms and crossed his legs. Huntress Wizard finally sighed. "Come on. Tell me!"

"Fine," she said. "If this will get you to focus a bit, I'll indulge you. But don't forget—we are here to work, not to really make friends."

Finn nodded.

"Okay," she said, keeping her arms folded. "I ended up there quite some time ago. I was wandering blindly in sadness, and I got lost in the temple and ended up locked in a room with a statue. That's when the real trial of Egress began for me. On the other side, I met someone, someone I had lost and held dear…"

Finn said nothing. He remembered Hylea's story about a huntress that was not her own. He could not afford to share that information just yet.

"It was a trap," Huntress Wizard spoke on, looking somewhat injured. "Designed to keep me there to die or to move forward and live—that was my trap. In the end, I abandoned the fantasy and found my way back to the temple, but more trials awaited me. I faced them head on and won. I forgot about sadness and pain. Only power mattered for me and where I wanted to go."

"Huh," Finn said, trying to hide how painful it was for him to hear her story.

"To get through Egress," she said, "you just have to alter your perspective on the things you think you know and overcome its mental traps, starting with the statue. Rearranging the statue to what you think it should be is what set off every trap meant to challenge you, meant to break you from conventional thinking and ascend to a higher form of mind via instinct, a mind that abandons fantasy for the harsh truth that is life. The reward? You get to keep your life without dying in the dungeon as well as a lesson of abandoning false truths and listening to the heart—the only thing in this world anyone can trust so long as you build it tough.

"It sounds like you took the hard way out."

Finn hummed.

Had that been the case? Had Egress been trying to teach him the lesson of letting go and moving forward, no matter the means? Or had his trial meant more? Had he really abandoned anything and left it behind? Or had he learned trust and the importance of connections and friends?

He had not abandoned Jake, BMO, NEPTR, or the others.

He had not abandoned Diatris or her mom. If anything, he had held onto them as his strength to keep moving forward. Finn looked up at her and sternly glared. He could not agree with her negative view.

"I don't agree with that," he said. She heaved an exasperated sigh. "Listen. I completely ignored the statue because I saw nothing wrong with how it was arranged. It was fine the way it was. Instead, I went straight for the door labeled 'Egress' since Egress means exit! Unfortunately, I couldn't budge that door with all of my strength…but I could pass through it if I closed my eyes. And that's what I did."

Huntress Wizard stared at Finn, seeming somewhat interested in his words. Finn spoke on.

"I went through that dungeon blind just like you," he said. "I didn't face traps after my sight came back, but that's because I didn't need to. It took a long time to get used to moving forward with your eyes shut in fear, especially when opening them too soon meant ending up right back where you started, no matter how much time you had spent wandering through its alternate world. Over and over I went through this…until finally letting go of Jake and everyone else until I could find my own way. I trusted them, and I trusted myself.

"I even abandoned the idea of leaving Egress and just accepted living on my own in the woods after a while because it was better to move forward blind than to stay stuck in the dungeon's hall just because I could see. Eventually, I found my way to that world's Egress and was able to come home through its door, and I didn't do it by giving up or trusting just myself. I trusted my friends on both sides.

"It was because I clung to everything that I loved that I was able to let them go and trust that I'd see them again when the time was right. I learned…to trust in bonds and love."

As Finn paused, he observed Huntress Wizard for a reaction. She sat with her arms folded, still maintaining her lotus position as she listened. Her eyes stayed glued on him sternly and without expression. Finn wondered if Diatris had ever looked at him with such cold and guarded eyes. He heaved a sigh and spoke on.

"If I had really abandoned Jake and everything I held dear, I'd have never made it out of dungeon," Finn said. "I would have given up on myself and died. So maybe the message wasn't abandoning false truths but moving forward to discover better ones because after the dungeon, I still had the world to face with a fresher perspective. You know? And life is just a dungeon you can't escape by giving up everything."

Huntress Wizard scoffed, clearly disliking what she heard.

"Maybe for you," she remarked. "Sounds like the dungeon gave you a free pass. If you were strong of will and focused on moving forward instead of second guessing your path and where you needed to go, the dungeon would have never tripped you up so often and would have freed you sooner. You still had to abandon your old way of life and old way of thinking to get through it in the end. So…I really don't get your point."

"It was because of my connections to the others that I was able to trust in it and leave them," Finn said, not willing to back down. "Sure, I let go in a sense. But I never gave up hope of finding what I needed to in order to return home. I left nothing behind. If anything, I carried everything with me. I still carry it. I abandoned nothing."

"You're in denial," she retorted.

"No, I am not," Finn calmly snapped back. "You just don't like hearing that your opinion might be wrong."

"What…?" Huntress Wizard lowly snarled.

The two of them glared one another down. Huntress Wizard stood with her fingers spread like claws.

"You take that back…" she demanded.

Finn glared at her and took back nothing.

This Huntress Wizard, she frustrated him to no end! Isolation had really done a number on her empathetic senses, and he didn't like that. She was so self-righteous and self-centered… Diatris had never been that bad…despite being the same way to a degree; she had at least cared about the feelings of others…

Mostly…

Finn grabbed his head in frustration.

Why the heck was this Huntress Wizard so…bunk? What was it that made her tick, and why? Did she just…secretly despise him despite needing his help? What was her deal?

Before he could ponder too long, Huntress Wizard grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him over her shoulder. Finn's mind drew a blank in anger. That did it. As Finn bounced and slid across the temple floor, he rolled to his feet and stopped. He shot Huntress Wizard a glare, and she scowled back. He didn't have to take that lying down.

His grass arm trembled, and Finn grabbed it to hold it at bay. He had no wish to hurt her…despite her attitude. He wanted to understand this Huntress Wizard.

"What the junk?" he exclaimed but keeping himself guarded. He had learned years ago that if he left himself unguarded, she would attack. "That was uncalled for!"

Huntress Wizard scoffed and dashed for him, much to his shock. Finn guarded against her kick and skidded back. Anger bubbled within him, but he held his ground and made no attempt to fight back; her hits were hard but not deadly. Was she just blowing off steam? Huntress Wizard lowered her stance to a predatory pose…

"Stop wasting my time!" Huntress Wizard screamed, darting for Finn again. He rolled. "I've got a duty to fulfill to this forest, and you keep getting distracted! And getting me distracted! You're making me doubt things that I shouldn't… Who the heck are you to tell me I'm wrong? Did you have to live my life? No! You've got a lot of nerve!

"If you aren't going to be better help, I'll find somebody who will be!"

"I AM trying to help you!" Finn exclaimed, defending. Why were they fighting? "And you're one to talk! Did you go on my journey through Egress! No! Does anybody get to endure anybody else's hardships? No! We've all got problems and different solutions to them! At best, we can learn about them, move on from dinks, and be a better people.! But your problem is that you haven't helped me learn a thing! It's been days, and you still haven't told me why we are summoning this forest spirit in the first place! Let me help!"

"I don't need that part of your help!" she exclaimed, kicking. "I just want your music…and for you to leave afterwards!"

Finn's breath left him as he smashed against the wall, and he slid down to his rear. Huntress Wizard jammed her boot into his chest, much to his dismay. Why? Why had she and Diatris grown up so different? Where was Hylea? Her…mom….?

"I asked you to do one job," she said. "So stop worrying about everything else and just do it! Or quit wasting my energy and let me find someone else who will. You don't need to know anything else than that. Telling you would end up being a distraction."

A jolt of rage shot through Finn, a jolt he couldn't ignore. He had so much to ask her, so much to say, and yet she had every intent to deny his curiosity. This Huntress Wizard, he could not understand. Diatris had held nothing back when they were together. Nothing. Why, then, could their friendship not be the same…? Did she have friends?

Could he leave her alone like that…as a hero?

Without warning, Finn's grass arm suddenly shot forward and cut Huntress Wizard across the cheek as she dodged. Huntress Wizard snarled at Finn and pulled forth an arrow. Finn's heart raced.

Things were going too far.

He grabbed hold of his grass hand and choked it.

"No!" he screamed at it. Huntress Wizard stopped. "Not cool! We're not trying to kill each other! We're just having a warrior's chat. Chill!"

The grass arm wriggled about angrily before retreating back into the form of an arm. Finn heaved a sigh and took a deep breath while looking around at the temple. Skid marks and cracks rested where their reckless blows had struck. Huntress Wizard put her arrow away and looked around as well, finally letting her anger pass as if it finally hit her where they were fighting.

As Finn stood, she folded her arms defensively, trying to hug the discomfort away. Finn hummed at her and rubbed the back of his head with a pit in his chest as, again, he wondered just how long Huntress Wizard had been alone.

Of course, if he asked her, she'd never bother to answer such a question. She had hired him for a job, not his company. He had to accept that.

Once more, Finn looked at the temple and thought of Diatris and how they had met one last time before he went on his way to find his path out of Egress. A sigh escaped him, and he turned away from Huntress Wizard to leave. He couldn't be there, not now. Huntress Wizard made no attempt to stop him as he walked off in silence.

"I'll…find my way back…" he said. "I have somewhere I need to go. It wouldn't interest you. Still, if you can understand, I just need a day or so to myself before I can focus properly on this job."

"It's fine," Huntress Wizard answered. "It's high time we both took a break instead of getting frustrated over stuff that makes no sense to get frustrated about. You can quit if you want…"

"I'm not quitting," Finn said, stopping and facing her. She held herself tightly as if frightened and cold, but the stern gaze of her eyes remained. Finn slightly smiled and pounded his chest. "I told you I'd help you, and that's what I intend to do. I'll be back. I promise."

Huntress Wizard hummed as if mulling his words over in disbelief, but—surprisingly—she nodded in approval. Finn smiled and quietly wondered if Diatris had held herself the same way. There was so much about her that he didn't know as well. Could they have ever really liked each other? Or had she simply been a part of his fantasy?

Finn walked off with the question in mind. There was only one place he could go to find that answer…

 _Finn felt a pain throb in his head as he came to. Based on the sounds around him, night time had fallen, a night time outside the temple. Had Hylea thrown him out? Probably. After what he had done, there would be no way that the Forest Watcher would let he and Diatris be alone again. In their short time alone, he had betrayed her trust and given Hylea every reason to kick him out and send him on his way. He DID have to get home, but he had wished to know Diatris a bit more to learn what it was the Huntress of his world might be like so that he could find her and make friends. More than that, however, he had wish to know Diatris' true feelings._

 _Did she love him or the other Finn?_

 _Finn suddenly heard her voice calling out in his head._

 _"_ _Finn," she called. "Come out. We need to talk. And don't worry, I ditched Mom."_

 _Finn listened for the sound of her movement, the sound of her footsteps. He sniffed for the mixture of oak, sweat, and mud that defined her. Something, or someone, moved nearby. Finn felt around him to figure out what his location. As he stood, he bumped his head, much to his displeasure._

 _Hylea had cleared out and hidden him under a tree. That much, he could tell. Finn smirked as he felt his way around. Hylea was not as heartless as he had originally thought on their first meeting. But kicking him in the head was just cruel. Mean even._

 _Finn found his way out and listened for Diatris' movement…_

 _A body suddenly dropped down on him from above and pinned him to the ground. Diatris laughed while Finn spit dirt from his mouth. Even so, he could not help but chuckle and smile._

 _"_ _D…" he groaned._

 _"_ _Found you!" Diatris beamed. "Sheesh. You'd better be more careful out here Finn, or you're toast even if we did train you."_

 _Finn picked himself from the ground as she sat on his back, and she slid off to her own feet. Finn grabbed her arm and faced her. She stood firm, but she did not grab him back. Instead, she released a sigh and pulled away. Finn's heart sunk. What did it mean?_

 _"_ _Are you mad at me?" Finn asked anxiously. "I'm really sorry…for how I acted. I couldn't control myself. I wasn't thinking… I…"_

 _"_ _Finn, stop," Diatris said almost painfully, and Finn buttoned his lips. "That wasn't your fault. I pushed you… I didn't hold back as I should have, and I'm sorry. My Finn and his body—that's what I see when I look at you. But you aren't him…and I disrespected that for selfish reasons…"_

 _Finn gulped. He didn't like where this was going. Diatris took a deep breath and stepped back._

 _"_ _Mom told me not to come see you," Diatris said. "She said that I was just going to be your distraction and that I wouldn't see past my own Finn, but she's wrong. I know, without a doubt, that you aren't him. But I didn't want to see that when you and I were alone. I kept thinking that I could bring him forward…that I could bring him back and send you home…_

 _"_ _But in the end, all I did was hold you here, and for that I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry… You're not my hero. You're not my Finn…and you…need to leave so he can return. So…I'm asking you to go, to survive and get out of this dungeon because…it's the only way I'll see my Finn again!"_

 _Finn's heart twisted in his chest._

 _That answered his questions._

 _She didn't love him, not one bit. Of course she didn't…_

 _Finn stepped forward. He heard her gasp, and she froze as he embraced her. She did not attempt to hug him back. Finn choked a bit but maintained his hold. He now knew what he really needed to do._

 _"_ _I'll do everything I can to get him back," Finn said. He let her go and walked off. "I promise you that he will come back. Goodbye…"_

 _With those words, Finn hurried off. He had no time to lose. He could not give himself time. If he did, he would never leave. He did not hear Diatris try to follow or stop him. A tear fell from Finn's eye, but he kept moving. He had a quest to complete, a home to return to, and a hero to save. He had to…for Jake—for his family and friends—for her…_

 _He would not let Egress keep him trapped there. Not like that. The time to return home had come, and he would. He was not going to let the stupid dungeon defeat him. He couldn't afford to. He had people who would be waiting for him back home. He had a friend…that he needed to help._

 _"_ _Goodbye…Diatris," he mumbled to himself._

 _With those words, Finn kept moving forward. He would get home. He would…_

Finn sat calmly outside the gate of Egress, his flute song echoing through the night air. The wind blew gently through the tress and carried his notes along through the sky. In the distance, a group of wolves seemed to howl in reply. The forlorn howls reminded him of the friends beyond the gate on the other side. Finn remembered them all—BMO, Jake, NEPTR, Bonnibel and Marcy, Ice King, Hylea, the temple, and Diatris… He played a song to them, telling them that he had made it home. Whether they could hear him or not, he did not know. But it did not matter. The point was to say goodbye and finally leave Egress behind him.

Only then could he properly help Huntress Wizard as he had promised. That was his duty as a hero.

Behind him, he could feel Huntress Wizard watching from a tree, listening as he played for the Huntress and friends he had left behind in Egress. She had been there for quite sometime enjoying the tunes of his lonesome song. Was that what she felt? Loneliness? Did she relate to it? He wondered.

Finn finished his song just as Huntress Wizard appeared behind him and sat. Her back almost touched his. Her quiver and arrows were gone. Finn glanced back and saw that she did no wear her hood either; her leafy hair was in full view. Finn slightly blushed and looked away.

"Yours is such a lonely song…" she remarked calmly, almost tenderly. Finn gulped. Where was she going? What did she wish to know? "We can't help one another if we fight, and we fight because we keep misunderstanding each other's intentions, causing us to become frustrated to no end. I apologize for my behavior before. It was disrespectful to you…and the temple."

She fell silent and said no more. Finn gulped, mustering a soft smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You're cool," he said, leaning back. She did not budge as he accidently leaned against her. Finn gulped and stayed there. "You're absolutely right about us not getting one another. You and I have never properly spoken before despite seeing each other a few times. We've never tried to know or understand our paths, and because of that…I don't get you, but I'd like to if you'd let me. I always have…ever since Wizard Battle. We…never got a chance to really make up about that. I was…a stupid kid back then…and you were wild…but…uh…I was the dumb one. Mostly."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Huntress Wizard said coolly. "The important thing is you know that it was dumb, and you learned. I learned. I've mellowed out a bit since then. That's all anyone can ever do."

"Uh..right," Finn said, sitting up as she leaned forward and stood. He did the same and faced her, nervously rubbing the back of his hat while gripping his flute tightly with his freehand. Huntress Wizard stared at him coolly but not as distantly as before. This time, she clearly looked at him directly. She saw him. Finn smiled, and she softly did the same. Finn cleared his throat and attempted to look cool himself. She leered with a smirk and waited for him to speak. "So…what now? Want to head back to the temple? I can try to play a song for the summoning…though I'm still not quite clear on why it means so much to summon the Forest Spirit in the first place. That…really would help."

"I am hunting a witch," Huntress Wizard replied bluntly. Finn's eyes lit up with interest. He did not know that wizards hunted witches. "She desecrated this forest while I was out of it, and I cannot allow her to get away with that act. So I'm hunting her down."

"Oh," Finn said, feeling somewhat impressed. "That's a cool goal. You're kind of a hero then, of the forest. That's rad."

Finn remembered Hylea from Egress. She was the same. Wow. Perhaps that had been her reasons for being so harsh to him. In her own way, she had just wanted to get him home…

And away from her daughter.

Finn sniggled, and Huntress Wizard folded her arms, watching him closely. Finn gulped and hoped she didn't think that he was laughing at her. He wondered how he could explain Egress without prying. He definitely did not feel comfortable prying, not too much.

"Sorry," he said, finally. "Your job description made me think of someone who helped me in Egress. I just realized that she was…kind of a hero…and definitely a mom. I don't get how I didn't see it before…"

"Really?" Huntress Wizard said, keeping her arms folded while watching him with eagerly focused eyes. "What was this Huntress' name? I assume she was one?"

"Oh, totally," Finn said, smiling. It wouldn't be prying if she asked the questions. "She was…a much older Huntress. She had a daughter, and the entire forest housed her husband's spirit, so she could live as long as it lived. It was…something. Her…name…was…Hylea. Hylea Huntress…and the forest was called the Woods of Manevus Wizard…and their daughter's name was…"

"Diatris…" Huntress Wizard finished before he could. Finn paused and covered his mouth with concern as she looked down toward the ground in sadness. "Her mom…called her Diatris, right?"

"Uh…yeah…" Finn said, rubbing the back of his hat. He hoped that he had not said too much. "Is that…your name?'

"Pffff," Huntress Wizard scoffed, turning away but only slightly. "No. Diatris Was Mom's nickname for me. It holds the same name meaning as Artetris which is 'globbess of the hunt'. Diatris was what she called me as a sign that I was her pride and joy, the only thing greater to her than Diana, the Spear of Artemis that I inherited from her, that marks us as Watchers of the Forest."

"Oh…" Finn said, astonished. Diatris had never told him that…and he had never asked. "Wow. I feel like a jerk for not asking…"

"It's not something one would think to ask if that's what she answered to," Artetris remarked. "I go by Artetris, just in case that wasn't clear. I'd prefer it if you kept that under your hat."

"Huntress Wizard it is," Finn said, smiling. "I'm really glad you told me that. I've been wanting to ask what your name was…but I didn't want to come off as prying or creepy about possibly knowing. I wasn't even sure if your name would be the same. So…yeah. Sorry if I came off as…distracted before. I just wasn't sure what to say."

"I see," she said, dropping her arms and facing him, her gaze looked softer. "Nice to know some version of myself still gets to enjoy her mom's company at this age. My father died before he could fulfill such a task, and his death caused my mother's life to fade not long after. That was…a hard time for me. He died saving a human…since he was human once…long, long ago."

"Oh…" Finn said, wondering who the human was. "It…wasn't me…was it?"

"No," Artetris replied, refolding her arms while looking off to the side in thought. "She was probably connected to you though. Probably the one who gave you your animal hat with your name on the inside of it as a babe…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on," Finn said, grabbing his head in disbelief. "You…knew me as a baby?"

"Barely," she replied. "I remember my parents rescuing you from a beast and keeping you for a night before putting you back in the woods for someone else to find. Eventually, two dogs picked you up…and that was it. Never saw you again until Wizard Battle…and a few other times after that."

"Wow," Finn said. "I guess that's not too surprising since your mom would have known something being amiss in the woods. Glad I didn't get eaten."

Finn grinned, and Artetris softly smiled back at him before turning and walking away.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go set up a camp. We can talk more by a warmer fire. We…should catch up since it's been such a long while. I'd love to hear about this Hylea of Egress."

"Yeah…sure," Finn said, following after her. He smiled. "Let's definitely do that. I'm eager to learn what I can. We might come up with some flute songs that hit the notes we need."

"Hmm," she replied, humming positively without saying anymore.

The two of them traveled for the deeper parts of the forest in silence, but the air between them had changed. Finn felt it. Artetris had opened up to him. At the very least, they could be friends—two friends working towards a common goal to stop a witch. He liked that. It felt right. In a way, it felt better than his interactions with Diatris, his huntress who didn't love him, at least not as anything more than a friend.

 _Finn felt himself at the edge of the trees, the end of the forest. He stopped and breathed in the overlapping scents of the trees behind him and the land ahead. How long had he walked through it? How often had 'they' watched over him? Who would watch him once he had moved beyond it?_

 _Finn gulped and hesitated. Couldn't he just live in the forest? Wasn't that better than blindly trying to find his way to no where in particular? How much farther did he have to go? Did it matter? Probably not._

 _He suddenly felt a presence behind him. He knew the presence well by now. How often had she helped him in her longing for the Finn she had lost? Diatris…_

 _"_ _Are you scared?" she asked him. "Are you afraid to abandon what you've come to know? It's fine if you do. Your journey here in the woods alone… It's been a harsh one…"_

 _He said nothing to her. He couldn't. If they talked, he would end up breaking his promise to keep moving forward. No matter what._

 _Diatris seemed to chuckle forlornly and placed a hand upon his shoulder. Finn kept himself facing forward, and her hand slid from his back as he took his first steps beyond the forest's borders. Diatris quickly grabbed him and held fast to his arm. He gulped. What was she doing?_

 _"_ _I'm sorry…" she suddenly said. "I know that it has been a while since our talk, but I still needed to say it once more. I miss my own Finn, but I care for you as a friend and wanted you to know… I truly meant you no harm…"_

 _"_ _It's fine," Finn said, deciding that speaking that much to her was fine. He smiled gently and turned his head as if to look back…even though he couldn't see her. "I'm glad that we are friends. And I appreciate you and your mom for all the help you did give. From here on out, it's just us moving forward. I'll…do all I can to make sure your Finn returns home… I promised you he would, and I make good on vows like that, you know? Tell Hylea I said to take care…and lighten up."_

 _Diatris softly chuckled._

 _"_ _Okay," she said. "I'm…sure she heard you."_

 _"_ _Right," Finn chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. He stepped towards her and found her for a hug. This time, she returned the gesture, and he smiled. "Goodbye, Diatris. I'll see you and your mom on…my side. I'll tell them both of our adventures…if I find them."_

 _"_ _Goodbye Finn," she replied, patting him as they embraced. "You be sure to treat her right. Don't forget that before anything else, she should be your friend. Never forget that."_

 _"_ _I won't," Finn said, letting her go and heading off._

 _Diatris' presence behind him vanished, and Finn held his arms out as he kept walking, hoping to find what felt right, what felt different. He knew he would find it, just not when. But when didn't matter._

 _Eventually, he would find his way, and at the end, he'd be a better Finn…_

Finn observed Artetris as she slept soundly on the other side of their fire circle, their flames long put out after an evening of pure chatting. He had learned a lot about her return to the forest, the witch she had encountered, and the friend she had lost. It finally all made sense to him why she had been so cold. She didn't want to get hurt.

In the morning, they would return to their flute summoning; that, they had decided together. She would "be his wizard" and train him to better feel this forest and separate it from the one of Egress that he knew. He had to; he had to understand the spiritual life in order fully help her.

Or so they both assumed. She, honestly, did not know what kept the spirit from them, but they would summon him. And he would help as long as it took, as long as she sought him. Finn smiled and finally closed his eyes with some sense of peace back in his system.

Things with Artetris Huntress Wizard felt different. Things…felt right. The sounds of the blissful evening carried his mind off into the night, satisfied to have at least finally settled and patched things up with an old friend. An old friend indeed.

There would be…no going back. He had to keep moving forward.


	4. Finntress Fluffy

IV.

Finn watched in an almost awed, hushed silence as Artetris notched an arrow onto her bow. His eyes glistened to see the warrior wizard at work, her eyes and mind focused on their targets above. Finn observed the two quails as they landed and silently gulped as Huntress Wizard crouched down and readied a bow for the kill.

 _"_ _The mighty huntress has spotted her quarry high in the treetops…"_ he narrated playfully in his head as Aretris focused on nothing but the birds on high. _"Her breaths flow in and out with the breeze as it rustles the leaves so has to conceal her presence from the birds…unless her breathe smell rank, yo? And the birds catch a whiff… I haven't had an opportunity to find out is she and—wait. No, I can't let my mind wander THERE…though, it would probably be nice to kiss her…"_

Finn shook his head free of his own confusion as his mind snapped back reality. His Jake-like narration had derailed, but the hunt lived on. Not wishing to let his mind wander further, he decided to watch his ascetic mentor in silence.

Slowly, Artetris' arm pulled back on her bow's string; she held the arrow firmly in its place as she aimed for the quails above. Her hand nor her mind shook as she kept herself in that locked position, aiming for the two who had just been unlucky enough to have caught her hunger's attention. Finn watched Artetris work with great admiration as the arrow loosed itself from bow to bird, killing the one quail before it knew what hit it. The other, whom Aretetris had also aimed to kill only to miss, panicked profusely and fluttered its wings to flee.

Another pointed shaft brought the spooked beast down, and Huntress Wizard stood with mild pride. Finn blinked in confusion. When had she notched another arrow on to the bow string? Had it been after, and he missed it? Had she really been that fast? Finn stood up in awe as she stepped out to claim her prizes, and his face flushed as he watched her head back towards him. Watching Huntress Wizard's instincts in play felt like…magic…even when there was no magic.

And why had there been no magic? Finn's mind wandered to this as she held up one of the quails for him with a soft smile.

One for him and one for her.

Finn softly returned the smile and politely took her offer—a regular quail cabob!

"These two quails will make great quail cabobies," she suddenly remarked, and Finn muffled a sniggle at their brains thinking together. She shook her head at him, not with disapproval but with playful endearment. As she walked past him, she elbowed him bro-style. "Come on. Let's clean these up and get to snackin'. The sooner we finish the meal, the faster we'll get back to our hunt. I can't believe that in two weeks, we've turned up nothing more that a lesser spirit or two. It's baffling."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Finn agreed but not because he actually thought Huntress Wizard's surmise was baffling.

A pang of guilt twisted in his gut as he thought of every flute song he had conjured post Egress. All of those songs he had been playing had not been for the Spirit of the Forest—even back at the river.

They had all been for her—his Huntress…

Huntress Wizard snapped her fingers at him and brought him from his trance. Finn felt his face grow warm from embarrassment, and he nervously rubbed the back of his hat and head. Huntress Wizard kept her arms folded and stared at him blankly.

"You should not worry about it," she remarked, speaking of the flute spell, as she headed off through the trees for their camp nearby. Finn silently followed, least his mouth said something it shouldn't. "I don't think the problem lies with you. I sense powerful notes in your songs, each one of them lulling and moving. It's the kind of stuff he likes, so he should be listening. We just…need an extra something to draw him out…"

"Yeah, sure," Finn said, agreeing upon seeing his chance to latch his thoughts onto new ideas. "Maybe I should serenade you under the moon and stars or some stuff. That sorta gossip would draw Jake's eye in a heartbeat. Haha."

Artetris said nothing to him as a reply. Finn's skin crawled with the jitters. Why on their partially exploded earth had he said that out loud? Had she been offended? Had he crossed a line he shouldn't? The old Huntress Wizard would have filled his hide with arrows for putting her in a spot like that, so…perhaps she had just not heard him. Finn heaved a slight breath of relief as the campsite came into view. He hoped she hadn't heard him and thought poorly off him after their past week together had been so good…

Artetris stopped at the edge of the campsite and suddenly looked up towards the morning sky. Finn paused and waited for her to say something. Was she going to say something or not? Only the melodies of the woods broke the silence between them.

"That's…not that bad of an idea," she finally said, breaking the silence and shooting him a backwards glance. Finn smiled, a twinge of excitement growing within him. Had he just sounded smart in front of a wizard? "There's a crescent moon tonight. It's one of the most magical for forest folk…. We could totally try this serenade beneath the stars. If it doesn't work, we'll try one other thing before calling it quits I guess. I can't keep wasting your time or mine. That witch won't find herself if I keep dawdling too long."

Finn's heart sank.

"Right…" he said, though not enthusiastically.

"Quits"—he did not want to call it quits, not now when they had finally started getting along. Not now when they had finally started to learn one another's mannerisms, quirks, and stories. He still had a few tales he wanted to spin for her, like Simon since she knew Betty…

Artetris moved towards the fire circle, and Finn quietly followed as he wondered what they could do on their next to last day while waiting for the moon and stars. While she sat down beside her sleeping spot and immediately began to pluck the feathers from her dead bird, Finn sat by the campfire circle and placed the arrow that held the quail in his mouth so that his hands were free. Huntress Wizard had a trick she could do to light a fire if she so chose, and Finn had remembered that at one point in time, he also knew that trick before forgetting. Somehow, with her, he found himself remembering lots of minute things of the old past. He wondered if that was the magic of love…

However, before Finn could even get started on his attempt, she suddenly appeared beside him and started rubbing her hands together in his stead. A fire started on the hot spot, and Huntress Wizard immediately sat beside him, her plucked bird ready for cooking. Finn took his own bird from his mouth before eying her curiously. She blankly stared back before pointing at his grass hand. Finn held up his palm and looked at it; he could feel it aching to kick something's butt.

"That thorn of yours would probably hurt your other hand if you tried," she remarked, looking off. "You'll turn to grass if you are not mindful of that cursed arm, and no one wants that fate. No more meat, no more senses other than the feel of the wind on your body, a grass curse slowly eroding you to nothing but a shell of your former self—that's the fate that could await those over taken by grass curses. I've seen it happen."

"Oh wow," Finn replied, marveling at her almost subtle compassion. She looked back and squinted at him with a soft smile before turning to cook her bird. Finn turned away in silence and began to pluck his own bird so that it could join hers in a matrimonial roasting. In his chest, his heart turned flips. He truly felt that she cared about him the way he cared for her, if only for that split second. Even if their initial adventure ended, there could possibly be other run-ins with one another. Finn grinned. "Thanks for that heads up, HDubs. I appreciate that wizard know-how.

"Speaking of wizards, why'd you use your bow instead of magic before? I'm curious. Is there, like, a difference in power? What's the deal there?"

"Magic contains great power," she replied, "but the side effects that come from overuse of the craft aren't the kind of thing you'd really want to deal with over a couple of quails, dude. That's why I keep my bow for silent and less serious hunting. Have to keep the eyes sharp too."

"I see," Finn said, admiring his plucked bird before holding it over the fire. "So you've got side effects like Simon and the crown but not nearly as crazy because you control the power versus it controlling you mostly. That's cool."

"Crown?" she questioned aloud as she tested the firmness of her bird. Clearly not ready to eat it, she stuck it back by the fire and looked at him. She seemed completely interested in what he had to say. "When you say crown, do you mean the IK?"

Finn nodded with a proud smile. He wanted more people to know about Simon, at least those he felt would treat him with respect. Huntress Wizard looked away from him and hummed.

"I see, so he's 'Simon'," she remarked. "Betty mumbled the name the last time I saw her but never said anything more. Has she…found any signs of the cure she seeks for him?"

"Nah, not that we've seen," Finn replied, rubbing the back of his hat nervously. "The last time we saw Betty, Jake and I had been turned to bread and soup….and Betty got all of Magic Man's powers…and maybe some of Glob's, but who knows? Anyway, she's probably not quite sane if Magic Man's anyone to judge by."

"That figures…" Artetris remarked, almost laughing. "Ah well. You can't help the helpless I suppose. I hope she took the magical lessons I taught her to heart or else she'll never save…Simon…I guess."

Finn smiled with pride. He liked that she called Ice King Simon without much question. Huntress Wizard felt really cool.

"Maybe if we all keep calling him Simon, the crown will finally lose it's hold on him and bring him somewhat back to normal," Finn remarked, wanting to feel optimistic.

Huntress Wizard chuckled, and Finn looked up. She shook her head before checking her bird again.

"Wish magic IS powerful," she remarked. "It just…isn't powerful in that way, especially concerning other wish magics as it sounds like the crown is using. You might ask for something, but you never know how the whole thing's going to turn out without very specific, specifics. It's like asking the universe to save you, and then a comet crashes on your head. It, ultimately, saves you from living."

"Huh," Finn said, intrigued by her comet remark. Huntress Wizard eyed him attentively while periodically checking on her bird, and Finn smiled. He could definitely spend the day away jawing with her. "It's funny you should mention comets…and universal wishing like that because I had a funny wish thing happen when the last comet was approaching…"

"Really?" she remarked. "How so? Enlighten me."

"There was definitely enlightenment going on," Finn chuckled, making a joke to himself. Huntress Wizard stared at him blankly, and Finn recomposed himself and cleared his throat. "Okay. So…it all started when Jake and I, while serving the Candy Kingdom's temp king, discovered that Gunter had slipped into PB's rocket lab for…nefarious purposes…"

Finn held on tight as Huntress Wizard carried him across the treetops in pursuit of their evil quarry—an invasive forest worm awakened from ancient slumber. Finn's heart rushed with excitement; he felt hers do the same. She hurried along with a mighty spear held behind her, which Finn partially used to balance himself upon her. As soon as the worm felt close enough, he would leap or she would throw him—one or the other felt as if it would happen, Finn felt fine with it either way.

As the worm came into view, his grass arm tingled, anxious to get in on the fight if the opportunity presented itself. Finn quickly remembered their talk at the morning campfire and how their day of R & R together had been derailed by the invasion of several animals who had been displaced from their homes by the monster. HW was their "forest watcher"; thus, it was her duty to help them. Though clearly miffed at the prospect of being jerked around by some obscure obligation, Artetris had not objected. In heavy silence, she had accepted the task, and Finn had, naturally, followed after.

For whatever trouble the forest faced, her duty was as much his too. After all, he was the hero of all of Ooo. How could he, then, not also protect the creatures of the forest?

Finn readied himself as the worm felt close, close enough for him to leap. Huntress Wizard seemed to sense his intentions and held both arm and spear firm for his jump. Feeling confident, Finn propelled himself up and forward with the Finnsword raised high above his head. A battle cry escaped him, and the ancient earth worm stopped its crawling at the sounds of its impending battle. Finn's blade fell for the worm…

The beast's head fell clean off, much to Finn's pleasure. Artetris landed across from him and seemed to eye the scene with pleasure. Finn smiled, proud. However, their comfort faded as two more heads suddenly sprang from the foul beast, and it roared and spat with a vengeance. Both Finn and Artetris gritted their teeth at the scene in displeasure. Artetris rolled away as one head lunged for her. Finn watched the scene in horror and defended as the next head came at him. Carefully, however, he avoided cutting another head.

This monster clearly had hydra genes, and without Jake's fists to smash it down to nothing, they would have to be careful about slicing anymore heads. He wondered if Artetris knew… As Finn observed the young huntress dodging the heads and avoiding any direct attacks, he grinned; she definitely knew.

"Finn!" she suddenly called to him, and he listened, dodging once more. "Keep it distracted! I'll set it on fire! That's the best way to kill it so it can't grow more heads!"

Finn's eyes widened. He had never known that…

"Right!" he responded and then faced the monsters to glare them down with his most challenging stance. "Yo! Yo! Yo! Uglies! Finn's all about laying it down…your smackdown!"

Finn swatted at one of the heads with the flat side of the Finnsword. This only angered it and made it snarl, just as Finn wanted. The other head took focus from Huntress Wizard and onto him, also his intention. Both hissed as he grinned at them. Finn hissed back before blowing raspberries back at them with sword in hand. The worm heads roared and attacked him. Finn skillfully dodged and looked over to Huntress Wizard for approval…

…only to find she had gone. A wave of panic rushed through Finn. Where had she gone? Had she abandoned him? Why…?

Finn suddenly found himself smacked by a worm head. He slammed hard against a tree and fell to the ground in a daze, all the while cursing himself for his distraction. But where had Huntress Wizard gone? Before he could worry about her, his grass arm tingled. Finn's panic returned, and his grass arm rippled.

"Dude, stop!" he exclaimed as it slashed the two heads and made four appear; the worm also grew larger to compensate for the extra heads. Finn grimaced at the blunder and slapped at his grass arm to cease slashing. Reluctantly, it retracted, and Finn groaned as the four head threw their heads back and roared. Wherever Huntress Wizard was, she probably felt like killing him. Finn took a deep breath and faced the beast down with his Finnsword in hand. They needed to stay calm and trust Huntress Wizard. Finn glared at the worm. "You think you're so tough, worm? Who cares if you have four heads? Huh? We'll take you all on and cut out your heart and show it to each one of your faces…though you probably have four hearts now….

"Four times the FUN!"

Finn leapt and aimed at the center. He smacked two of the four heads with the flat part of his sword as they lunged at him. The two middle heads each smacked their neighbors, and the hydra worm collapsed at being knocked off balance. Finn landed to the back-left side of the worm and glanced around once more for his wizard. Where was she with that fire? Where was she period?

The ground shook beneath Finn just as the hydra-worm began stirring… Finn looked down at the dirt in shock before falling back on his rear as the dirt parted. A flurry of arrows with vines attached them rose from underground and wove themselves around and through their prey, tying it fast and firm to the dirt. Artetris reappeared from behind Finn, slowly walking by him with her special spear in hand and eying the hydra-worm with contempt as it roared and wreathed. Finn heaved a sigh of relief and smiled; their enemy was as good as beaten.

Finn stood up and quietly watched as she approached the monster hydra worm and stepped upon its trapped body. Slowly, she pulled forward her special spear and rubbed the tip between her hands. It caught fire, and much to Finn's wondered, the fire burned a strange greenish blue. Mixture. With the tip ablaze, Artetris took it firmly in hand and focused on her opponent's heart-section, calmly aiming her blazing weapon. The hydra worm gave one last hiss and then…nothing.

The spear's fire passed from weapon to beast as its mighty tip penetrated the ancient monster's flesh. The wound exploded into green and blue flames, burning the hydra worm's hearts and the rest of its body. Artetris leapt down from the body, dismissing her weapon as she coolly walked towards Finn. The two of them exchanged quick smiles before facing their fallen foe's body and watching it burn in flames like earth colors. They stood there in complete silence as they observed the death scene.

Finn wondered if fire was meant to have special meaning or if it was just for killing hydra worms…or if it was simply something unique to her as forest watcher. So many questions filled him concerning Huntress Wizard! It…kind of made his gut twist in fear. How often had he wished to know a woman so closely? When had that started? Normally, he'd simply wish to show off and get her to smile at him and his crazy stunts, but somehow, knowing HER—and not how much she found his jokes funny or his hero skills impressive—seemed to mean more.

He wanted to know everything he could about her. It made him feel…funny; for knowing her suddenly meant more than all the hugs and kisses he could have in the multiverse. That felt good! But weird… Could he just ask her or not?

As the last of the hydra worm vanished beneath the earth colored flames, Finn looked at Huntress Wizard, and she looked at him.

"That…was the most awesome fire display I've ever seen," Finn remarked, "and I dated Flame Princess, so trust me when I say that I know!"

Artetris huffed with a snicker, and Finn wondered if he had blundered again.

"You're funny," she remarked before turning away and walking off. She beckoned for him to follow, and Finn hurried after her with a content grin. She shot him a backwards glance before looking back forward. "We need to clean the areas the hydra earth worm destroyed with its rampage. Fix the dirt… Mend the trees… Tend to the injured… Fix the houses that might have been destroyed… It shall be a ton of work.

"Are you up for it? If not, you can wait back at the campsite while I tend to forest matters…"

"Hey, I'm down," Finn said, smiling his laid-back smile. "Hero work kind of entails the same things, so I'm a natural at hand building a shelter and such. We'll have this worm's mess cleaned up in no time!"

Huntress Wizard smiled and closed her eyes as if to hide her emotions…even though the smile gave it away what she was feeling.

"I like that answer," she remarked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear it, though. You are Ooo's hero after all. You are an…exceptional beast to be sure…like I am."

Finn smiled.

"Exceptional beasts, huh?" he remarked. "I like that. I'm not nearly half as talented, but I think it's cool if you can see me as rad as you. It's really kind of bunk to me now that we never hung out before. Better late than never, I guess."

"Yeah," Artetris said, not really hinting one way or another about whether or not she truly agreed.

Finn heaved a deep breath of comfort, and the two of them fell into silence as they treaded through the woods at a steady pace, side by side. On occasion, she would speed up as if to escape the monotony of their walking, and Finn would find himself itching to compete and would match her pace once more, often earning an amused smirk from her and another playful challenge. As they low-key played, Finn felt strange, as if he had mad a friend in Huntress Wizard and more.

A…feel-good connection… a vibe…

A bond.

Longingly, he fully felt himself hoping it would survive the storm to come—the end of their time together. Could it? Would it…?

Should it…

Eventually, the two of them finally reached the more damaged parts of the woods left by their enemy's thrash. He and Artetris immediately went to work, gathering the fallen plants or re-placing displaced items back into their original spots. As they worked, Finn's heart turned flips as he thought about the serenade he could play for her—a song of celebration and innocent fun like their adventure! Every now and then, Finn shot a glance her way; every time, he found her focused and hard at work, almost practically unaware of his presence as she carted boulders and logs with ease. It aroused him, touched him, to see her work so effortlessly and diligently in her job, without complaint or question. With her every motion, Finn felt desire, feelings he could not possibly see himself acting on… For Artetris Huntress Wizard felt beyond him, so far beyond that only his songs could reach her. She was not "his" not to "keep"….

Finn hummed to himself in thought at the notions of "having" and "keeping". He almost laughed but held himself so as to not draw the interest of Huntress Wizard. "Having her" or "keeping her" seemed so silly to him now! You couldn't have or keep a woman; she was…and independent person! Not a pet to coddle or an object to keep… How had he not seen it before? How had he been such a dumb, blind kid?

He didn't want to keep her… He wished for Artetris Huntress Wizard to reign free because free was how vibrantly her beauty shined in the day and night. Yeah… He could totally flute a song to that tune, and who knew? Maybe after the song was done, and probably failed, the two of them could talk and discuss picking the endeavor back up at a later date…if she wanted. Finn smiled.

He felt hopeful.

Artetris suddenly threw a stick at his head, and Finn dropped his twigs in confusion and whirled around to face her.

"Stop slacking off twig man," she remarked with an annoyed look on her face. Finn chuckled and shot her a happy smile. She rolled her eyes but mustered a small smile herself. "Come on. We don't have time for more games. We need to help fix the damage to this forest caused by that Hydra Worm before nightfall. I know that you have stuff in your head and that those things might be distractions, but…I really need you to focus on the mission at hand."

"Right, focus," Finn said, regathering his twigs and setting them to the side by the bushes where things looked more aesthetic. "Hey! Speaking of focus, I felt the most wonderful thing I could put into mystic song with my grass arm's aid. How about that for focus?"

"Your focus isn't making these logs any leaner," Artetris remarked, hurrying off. "We shall move on to the next section so we can be done my nightfall for that. I'll see you ahead."

Artetris hurried off, and Finn folded his arms with a grin as watched her vanished into the woods for their next section. Something in him bubbled with pride at this woman who had originally been one of his rivals for Bubblegum's smooch in Wizard Battle, his unencouraging wizard mentor in the days of his ignorance of the Enchiridion's true nature, and his cupid whose arrows had firmly pierced his heart without warning. He had it bad but in a way unlike the thrills of the past he ad once known. This thrill—it felt glad to truly know and understand Huntress Wizard…what little bit she allowed him at least…

Where would the future take them? Finn wondered as he moved forward to follow his companion's lead.

Only the future, he knew, held that answer, and for the moment he had a forest to help clean and a flute song to hum and then play that evening.

There was no time or point in getting caught up about "what might's" or "what could's". Those were, as Jake had once put it, imaginary problems, and he needed to keep his head cool. Finn nodded at his decisions in approval and vanished through the trees, smiling.


	5. A Flute Song of Simple Affections

V.

"Wow…" Artetris said as Finn hung his head from having told her about Pheobe. "I knew that you two had broken up since you being a free bachelor was the talk of Ooo for a good while. But that was…pretty messed up, dude…"

"Yeah…" Finn said, practically hiding his face. Why had he let himself get wrapped into that conversation? "I know that now…"

It had taken the day to finish tending to the forest matters, but they had managed to finish right there at sunset. On one hand, Finn felt excited. The day had yielded many surprising fruits. On the grass hand, he was nervous about screwing things up. Would the Spirit of the Forest come out to enjoy the song of triumph Finn felt for Huntress Wizard in his heart? His song of pride for the Watcher of the Woods?

Or would the Spirit just be offended that Finn kept playing his songs for her?

Would he truly be able to complete his task by just thinking about Huntress Wizard?

Their whole day had been a blast. One adventure after the next—forest creatures seeking out Huntress Wizard for aid in eliminating threats to their homes and HW inviting him along for said exterminations—he had never expected to have such a thrill dishing out justice on the forest scene! It had been like fighting evil and crimes the way he and Jake were used to but beneath the trees instead of dungeons. He had never imagined that she did the same! It had really fired him up while it had made Huntress Wizard, herself, more pleasurable. He'd never forget those moments with her, for they had sealed the deal.

He definitely had a monster crush on her…but he didn't want it to…burn them…

Finn hid his face from her, embarrassed to have admitted aloud why Flame Princess had broken up with him. He and Arte had passed by the old Vault of Bones and other forest dungeons in their work. That was how the conversation had started. 'Why did you break up with Flame Princess?' she had asked him after he had gone on about Pheobe and how he missed having that part of her in his life. Of course, he did not have to answer her, but he felt he owed it to Artetris as her friend to tell her; why he felt that way, he truly could not understand. Still, he liked having finally admitted his dink without dodging or running away.

Even so…

Why in Glob's name had he talked so much about Flame Princess while with Huntress Wizard? Did he secretly miss Pheobe? Were his affections for Artetris just his lingering affections for Pheobe that he couldn't act upon? Was he feeling guilty for liking Artetris, knowing how he treated Pheobe? He just…couldn't understand where the whole tangent had come from; was it a mixture of wanting Huntress Wizard and fearing his past screw up? Had he been holding it in that whole time?

Artetris suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder as he hid. Finn peeked at her, and she snickered at his bashfulness. He snickered back at how cautious she, herself, seemed. She moved in a bit closer to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder before gesturing towards the forest with the other.

"Do you know how many dinks have happened with me in this forest?" she asked him. "I shall tell you.

"Plenty."

Finn softly blushed and smiled.

"We all…mess stuff up," she said. She dropped her arms to her lap and looked down. "I messed stuff up leaving this forest…

"A friend of mine died because of the tree witches I let thrive here unchecked.

"The forest spirit hides from me because I told him he could shove his cryptic riddles about my duty to this place somewhere unpleasant after my mother died…"

She suddenly paused as if realizing something she had not thought about at all. Finn watched her sadly. This time, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she softly chuckled at his gesture and placing her own hand on his. He blushed, but he didn't flinch.

"I regret those words immensely," she said. "The Spirit of the Forest taught me everything he could about these woods and all its places…just like how my mother taught me how to fight and survive in it on my own… He looked after and cared for me when she or my dad couldn't, especially so after my father died…

"…and when Mom died after, he said…that he would be there for me, and I shoved him aside because I was so hurt and angry and didn't understand my own importance and connection to others and this world…or him.

"I made…so many mistakes Finn…"

Finn breathed heavily as she squeezed his hand; it kind of hurt. She quickly let go and stared up at the trees. They sat there in long silence, and Finn thought of her and how she must have been feeling for the past two weeks. No wonder she was so desperate to find him. It wasn't just the witch Huntress Wizard was after; it was her own self-redemption, the thing she would need to move on from her mistakes and to move forward.

Did he…need the same with Flame Princess? Maybe…

"I think…we've both learned from the things we messed up Finn," she said. Finn silently nodded. "We can't waste time thinking what could have been or what should have. We just have to think about what's happening now…and where we want to go moving forward. Living is about messing up and getting things wrong and growing from those mistakes. Survival is making sure that those life lessons stick and guide you to better paths and versions of yourself that you can be."

She looked at him.

"You understand what you did wrong now, so when you see her again, tell her that," Artetris said bluntly. "She'll forgive you. Maybe. I can't say that I know Flame King well. She burned the forest when I was young, and Bubblegum took her away…which kept my mom from having to kill her. That's all that I know of her, but I heard that she's a good king, so go for it."

Finn looked back at her and grinned. Suddenly, all the pain and knots of his chest and gut had vanished. Everything seemed so simple when you thought of things so…simply.

"Yeah!" he said in excitement. "Thanks! I will. You know, you're really smart, Art—I mean…Huntress Wizard."

She gently smiled and continued staring at him. Finn suddenly felt himself wanting to lean closer as if her eyes were pulling him in, but he held back. In his gut, he felt it would be wrong. As if catching herself staring, Huntress Wizard suddenly dropped her smile and stopped staring. She looked away from him before crossing her legs and closing her eyes to begin her meditation. Finn turned away and also tried to relax as he looked off into the trees.

The sun was setting. The day was darkening, and the forest shadows were growing deeper and cool. Evening would be upon them soon and his serenade to her would begin. Finn felt nervousness in his gut and talked on.

"You know…it's funny how we've all met and lived in these woods at some point or another," Finn almost snickered.

"The forest and the beings and creatures who live in it are all connected," Artetris said, not changing her position or opening her eyes.

Finn hummed and gave her a dull remark.

"Right, right," he said.

Finn took a deep breath and tried to be calm, his nerves on edge as he and Huntress Wizard sat beside one another in silence. Huntress Wizard made no movements as she meditated quietly beside him. Finn's fingers fidgeted restlessly from his obvi-crush sitting so peacefully next to him. He liked how much the two of them had changed towards one another in just two weeks…

He loved it even. He loved…her. And he wanted to play that for her in his song. Would she finally hear it? Would she want to play or sing along to his tune? He wondered. What could they accomplish together…if they were…together…?

Before he could wonder too long, Artetris stirred beside him and calmly observed the darkening forest scene. As their eyes met, Finn smiled. She, however, did not exactly smile back. Something felt like it was bugging her. Finn rubbed his head as she folded her arms and looked away.

"We should start climbing up now," she said, standing and offering her hand to help him. He eagerly took hold with his grass arm, and she seemed to pause as his thorn wriggled as if wanting to snag her for him. Finn's face flushed, and he quickly pulled his hand away. She snickered. "It seems that your hand is eager to play something for you. We'll take that as a good omen. I'll see you at the top, alright?"

"Yeah, totally!" Finn exclaimed, masking his feelings behind his honest excitement. He really wanted to pull this off for her. He wanted to do something as a token of friendship at the very least. He smiled. "I'll see you up there. Just…give me a moment to prepare my head a bit."

"Fine," she said, almost sounding a bit agitated, but she carried a bit of a smile before turning away. "Be sure not to grow roots down here. I'll be waiting above for your song."

With those words, she leapt off and vanished up the nearest tree. Finn's heart pounded in his chest at the sight. She had looked so fluid and graceful in her movements as if she had done such things all her life. She had done such things…all her life.

What could he…offer a girl…a woman like her?

Again, Finn fidgeted with his fingers. She had seemed anxious and agitated before smiling at him; had their day's rumbles been connected to the witch she hunted? It was bunk of the witch if they were… All those animals terrified and homes displaced or damaged!

Or, Finn gulped, was she possibly frustrated with him? Had she caught on that how he played was not entirely for the spirit but for her? Had she caught on to his feelings and thought ill of him? What would he say to her if he failed again?

His grass hand wriggled around, and Finn groaned. Should he tell her…before his grass hand did it for him?

He sighed and began to slowly climb the nearby tree opposite to hers.

What could he possibly say? 'I like you a lot and think you are amazing and hot when you fly and slip through trees'? Yeah… That wasn't creepy at all….

Finn thought about Flame Princess as he climbed. Back then, he had desperately chased her, so hungry for a love connection. His mother, Margaret, had died sometime before he started devoting himself to PB; that had been hard to accept and understand, especially when the world expected you to be tough. And PB had seemed so beyond him to connect with that he couldn't stand it, especially after her age down had made it seem like he had a chance. So when the world seemed to send him Pheobe, he leapt at fate and took hold, even if it hurt because he wanted someone to love him.

But that had been all he wanted. It had not been about her back then. It had been about rejection and then suddenly having his dreams fulfilled—someone to laugh with him, someone to hug him and kiss him and tell him he was funny and sweet, someone who saw him as more than just her hero…as her hero and not just Ooo's. Until he lost her…he had never realized that Pheobe was truly her own person and not some "evil princess" who needed a "good guy" to show her the world and the ropes. Only once she was gone…he had seen her…and himself….

He had hated what he had seen too. How he had treated PB, how he had treated Pheobe—he never wanted to treat anyone that way again. He never wanted to do that again… Simon had nearly died because of his manipulating Flame Princess' feelings to see her reactions and get his…nasty kicks since he couldn't hold her the way he liked or talk to her about how he was really feeling for fear of her leaving him.

He had never felt so ashamed of something in his life.

He had never felt more stupid, and he never wanted to again.

If he had even bothered to really try to know her when they were together, he would have realized that Flame Princess adored him back then and would have never left, not even if she had still become Flame King. He would have loved her and stopped worrying about useless things. Perhaps there would have even been some way for them to overcome the physical barriers of skin and fire had he just talked to her. He could have been a fire-Finn like Furn from Egress. She could have become more of a lava goddess and learned to chill when she needed to. So many things felt possible.

Of course, he realized, they also could have simply still grown apart, and it would have been fine because at least then he would have known her and made a life-long friend who didn't have a reason to mistrust or think less of him. Possibly. He definitely wanted to see her again and apologize. He definitely wanted to be friends with her again. But first, there was Huntress Wizard…

Finn stopped just beneath the canopy.

Two weeks—for two weeks he had managed to get this far without worrying about hugs or kisses or bases or tiers, and they had enjoyed the most amazing friendship he had known in a while because of it! She was amazing…and he wanted to tell her, not because he wanted or hoped for anything more but because he felt she should hear it come from a place that meant it with no strings attached. That she should know they were friends before they were anything else.

He thought about Huntress Wizard and how things had changed for him since Flame Princess. Putting someone else's needs before his own and letting life happen in Egress had definitely changed him deeply. The things that had pushed him forward there had not been wanting to win Diatris' affections but his knowing that she could be happy if he had helped her, knowing that he could be happy if he just kept pushing forward to grasp freedom when it felt right.

There were no big huge secrets to surviving or living life; you just…did it and let things happen the way they were meant to happen, and in doing so…you'd find your exit from the pain and a chance to keep enjoying the people and things you loved.

Finn softly smiled. Though initially she had been somewhat of a phantom and a pain, Huntress Wizard was a pretty radical dame to him now, one with a mission and a goal and the skill to achieve whatever her heart desired—someone who did not need a hero or simply see him as one. He liked that about her and wanted to make sure she held onto it forever. He wanted her to be happy and free. In that way, they both could be.

She suddenly hung down behind him and tapped him. Finn nearly fell down from the tree but caught himself before it could show. He looked back and found Huntress Wizard watching him with wide focused eyes. Finn giggled and smiled. She remained stoic and focused as she watched him.

"I'm coming," he said. "I just needed to feel the proper song. Sorry to keep you. It's probably somewhat chilly up there. We should get the ball rolling.

"And if it gets uncomfortable or anything, just say so. Cool?"

"Yeah, cool," she said.

Just like that, she vanished and went back to waiting, and just like that, Finn felt his heart flutter in his chest with some relief and comfort. His grass hand wriggled, almost as if it was eager to help him play for the woman he secretly pined for inside. It even felt like the Finn-sword was urging him onward.

Finn took a deep breath and finally climbed up to join her.

At the top, he found a rather breath-taking scene. The treescape there stretched for miles in every direction, almost like a dark teal plain, only with its lumps made of leaves instead of grass. A gentle, cool breeze brushed across them and through the tree branches. The mountains in the near distance stood proud and tall, some of them in groups, as they rose high above the the mighty forest. In the deep, navy blue sky, countless stars twinkled like diamonds around the crescent moon as it waned.

At the very center of the scene, of course, stood Huntress Wizard. Finn felt his face grow warm to see her standing like a globbess at the nexus of the cosmic scene. Her stance was firm and strong, and though she slouched a bit, she faced him with her arms at the ready to act however she needed. Her piercing green, cat-like eyes stared intensely at him, waiting for his melody. Finn calmly retrieved his flute from his pack and placed his hand upon its holes with that image of her in his mind, of Artetris Huntress Wizard ready to take on the world….and him with her if she chose him as he felt he had chosen her for the moment.

With that in his head, Finn played his song for her. He saw them, leaping and playing around, not hunting for the spirit but just having fun as they had that day. He played for the Huntress who had stormed into the river as he bathed and then demanded he play for her, demanded he cast a spell so moving that it would summon the spirit of the forest. He played for the Huntress who had whisked them through the woods and leapt from branch to branch of the trees to get where she was going. He played for the Huntress who protected the forest and its creatures from the evil magics of their strange world and her tree witch foe. He played for the young woman he respected, a girl he admired as he had not in a long time.

He felt he could play for her forever. The grass arm carried the notes of his heart to capture her…

"Stop," she suddenly commanded.

Finn immediately halted and looked up at her. His heart turned flips as their eyes met. Something seemed to bug her deeply, perhaps the air. For she wrapped it around herself and squinted as she lamented.

"This isn't working, Finn," she said and leapt off through the trees.

Finn pouted in frustration. She had never done that before; why had she left so abruptly.

"Dude…" Finn heard a deep voice behind him.

He screamed his girlish scream before realizing that Jake was standing behind him. He quickly relaxed and faced him, wondering why he was there. Of course Jake would tease him if he knew about his crush. He had to keep himself in the clear.

"Jake!" he said, genuinely excited to see his brother.

Yeah… He thought. It felt good that Jake was there. Perhaps his brother's wisdoms could help them do…what they needed to do.


	6. The Watcher's Curse

VI. The Watcher's Curse

 _His name was Jake, and he loved his life and kissing on Lady 'cuz she was basically his wife. He had fixed up NEPTR 'cuz he fell from a tree and had caught up with Maja and APTWE—Maja was in a coma and might not ever wake up; Jake was glad he had a friend now…even though that was messed up. He took TV to the market just to get him into fruits. He took a little nappy and gave his blankey co-coots. He woke up really early just to cook for his friends. Later in a field that night, he thought he saw Death. He made himself a boat, and he sailed with a whale. He took TV to the market so he could try kale._

 _And some other stuff!_

 _Jake finished the song he had conjured with his viola in order to tell Shelby about the past two weeks; they had been wild and just the break he had needed from the Age of Grinders fail he had suffered before them. He felt ready to tackle the game again, but Finn…mysteriously…had mysteriously been absent since then. He didn't come home for three days during the grind, and now another two weeks had gone by with still no Finn. Had he taken roots somewhere?_

 _"_ _Nice song Jake," Shelby said to him._

 _"_ _Man, it's been a crazy two weeks," Jake said, still thinking about Finn. "I think I'm ready to haul up and go for round two on Age of Grinders, but where's Finn? I need him on this adventure."_

 _"_ _Umm…" Shelby said as if he knew something but hesitant to say._

 _"_ _Hold on…" Jake said, knowing how Shelby got news from the vine. "What?"_

 _"_ _If you don't know," Shelby continued, "I'm not sure if it's my business to tell you…"_

 _Jake's tail wagged. Aww yeah. Shelby knew something sweet._

 _"_ _Don't you dare, Shelby!" Jake playfully scolded. "Give up that juicy gossip!"_

 _"_ _Well," Shelby had said. "The word on the street is…._

 _"_ _Finn's been hanging with a new lady…."_

Jake wagged his tail a bit as he and Finn followed Huntress Wizard home. The word wasn't wrong, and it had taken him all day to find them! Who knew what the had been up to for two weeks and four days now? That was almost three weeks! And Finn still had not made his move! Classy. He was probably hesitating 'cuz of his bad breakup with Flame Princess, but Jake felt he could help with that. Finn just needed himself the good ol' Jakey wisdom and wing-manning! He'd have them kissing soon, or his name wasn't Jake…

After Huntress Wizard had waited beneath the trees for him, Finn had agreed to her suggested next phase of their endeavor—getting him a more magical flute to summon the Forest Spirit; apparently some mystic boar lived in the woods, and his tusk would be great for the task. Finn had never seen it, but he did not doubt the wisdoms of the huntress who had spent more time out in those woods than he had.

Upon agreeing, she had offered him and Jake her home for the night, much to his excitement. Of course Jake had teased him, but Finn did not care. Something in him desperately wanted to see it, to know her and who she was. Homes…had a way of spilling one's secrets. What were hers?

"Just like home, huh?" Jake remarked while wiggling his eyebrows as they both stood at the center of Huntress Wizard's home. "You like her, don't you?"

Finn ignored him. His head was full, too full to hear Jake or anything else. Huntress Wizard's home looked beautiful, like a woodsier version of their own. He liked that. Like a log cabin but one made with dirt and trees. Like the outdoors but inside—that was her home, and she had shared it with them. It was kind of her.

Finn marveled to see a very rustic home with water, dirt, glowing mushrooms, some books, dead animals hung by ropes to be kept dry, and almost no furnishings. He scanned every part she had readily described of her home in her initial tour—some nice soft dirt that she probably liked to rest in being a tree nymph and all, a pantry of dead animals for eating because clearly a tree nymph like her ate meat and not plants if she could help it, a bathroom stream most likely for peeing and not booms, and a console with a branch growing through it that hadn't been "set up" yet and one he figured she probably never would since there was no power. Finn felt as if he had seen it all before.

But when could that have been? In their past? When he was at his youngest…? He wished he could know

After finishing her tour, Artetris had bid him and Jake a good night and then vanished behind the vines that sheltered her own room from view. Thus, he could not ask her and would probably forget to in the morning. It didn't really matter. Even if they had, neither one of them were those kids anymore. He wasn't Finn the baby anymore; he was Finn, the Man. Who they used to be was not who they were, and who they currently were was the thing that mattered.

Still…he couldn't help wondering if some part of her wished to avoid that part of them and why. It seemed strange to him for her to not talk about their past more if they had one, but clearly, that discussion disinterested her. Otherwise, she would have talked about it by now. He had wanted to ask ever since she had mentioned knowing him as a baby, but it would have to wait until she was ready. Maybe she had not known him that long… Maybe she couldn't remember…

As Finn took in the tranquility of her simple home, he wondered what her room was like compared to the rest of the place and if he had seen it before. He softly smiled at the idea of seeing her room to find out—he quickly struck the thought from his mind as it wandered to seeing her there, too, and alone with him. When she was ready to share it with her friends, she would.

Finn's mind wandered to her callousness and hesitation in the woods. Would they be friends when this was done? Or were things…slowly turning rank like rotten apple pies?

Finn recalled Huntress Wizard stepping out of the nightly tree shade to speak to him after he and Jake had dropped from the canopy. Generally, when they parted ways at night, she would leave him without looking back; this time, however, she had kind of hidden and lingered like she was after a mark. Had Jake caused her to be cautious? Whatever the case, she had nearly scared their mandibles off! It had felt like predatory precision, like she wanted to capture him but wasn't sure of how or what was the right way.

For a split second, in her call to him for attention, there had been a secret desire felt. Of course it had been to tell him of her idea to help push things along towards summoning the spirit. Still, he couldn't help hoping that maybe it meant more.

Finn sighed.

Why had she leapt away in the canopy only to wait in the shadows for him down below? She had never been so…evasive, not since their initial interactions at least. Was she…pushing him away? Had he done something wrong? Had his music been…offensive?

She had claimed that it was not him but his flute, which was why they'd be hunting a thunder boar for its tusks in the morning, and he had not wanted to tell her she was wrong in front of Jake, not with him teasing. He knew, somewhere in his gut, that she sensed something off with him and just did not want to say. He felt he had to tell her the truth sooner or later so he could stop wasting her time. He had to say something…

Jake snapped his fingers at him to draw him from his trance. Finn heaved a sigh at Jake's smirking.

"Aww, dude," he said, grinning. "You got it bad!"

"Jake, come on," he said, trying to play things cool. Jake grinned and Finn groaned. "I like her as a person, Jake. Not like what you're thinking. Huntress Wizard is cool. She's strong. She's dependable. She knows her stuff. What's not to like about that? She doesn't need heroes, though. She's a wizard who is her own hero, man, and I respect that. She's been helpful to me. So I want to be helpful to her."

"Don't you remember the book, Finn?" Jake remarked, laying down casually on the dirt while grinning. Finn wondered what book Jake meant. He didn't like reading. "Wizards and heroes…they're like…made for each other, Bro. Seeing you two proves it. She fills in your gaps, Finn."

"Hey…" Finn said, chuckling as Jake playfully punched him. "Cut it out Jake. Like I have gaps to fill…"

The two of them softly laughed at each other and rough housed a bit more.

Finn paused as he heard snoring come from Huntress Wizard's room. Jake heard it too and hummed. Finn hummed as well and set his bag down to pull out his pillow and blankets for bed. He wasn't hungry since they had eaten already, and he didn't wish to have Jake prodding him all evening and risk waking her up. The last thing he wanted was a cranky Huntress Wizard. Of course, he chuckled, she probably slept like a log as she had a couple of times in the forest. It was cute…

"We should get some sleep," he said. "She can wake up pretty early."

"Oh?" Jake teased some more. Finn's face blushed as he set up his bed. "Do. Tell…"

"Lay off, man…" Finn growled, and Jake softly giggled with glee. "Seriously…"

Jake settled down, and Finn finished setting their place. Once everything looked comfortable, he took off his shoes and socks, letting his toes wiggle on the cool, soft dirt before climbing into his warmer covers. Jake shrunk down to join them, and the two of them lay there in silence before Jake turned to him and spoke.

"I figured it out," he said. Finn looked at him curiously. Jake pointed. "You can't summon the Spirit of the Forest 'cuz you ain't playin' that flute for him."

Finn looked away with a glare. He hated it when Jake figured him out…

"You've got a crush on HW," Jake finished, smiling.

"HW is just training me to live an ascetic life like her," Finn remarked, having come up with an excuse of the fly…because technically she had been teaching him to help them summon the spirt better through asceticism.

Jake sneered and turned away.

"Hmm, okay," he said. "I buy that for like zero seconds."

Jake closed his eyes, and so did Finn…. Tomorrow was going to be a long day…

Artetris felt the morning sun upon her wooden form. She quickly changed back to normal with shirt, belt, and pants like before. Two mushrooms clung to her arm as she stared out the window at the morning light. She nonchalantly brushed them away before yawning and stretching.

Last time, she had turned into a cat curled in a ball for warmth. This time, she had turned into a log in the night to feel nothing.

She…had slept like a log. Offff course she had.

What guy was going to want a log for a girlfriend? Huh?

What guy…?

She paused.

Why the heck did that matter so suddenly? She had sworn off guys and gals and relationships with either until her curse was over; that had been the whole thing behind going to the city—trying to rid herself of that curse—and, of course, it had not worked in the slightest. Until her Watcher's business was taken care of, love was…out of the question. So why suddenly think of it now?

Was it…because of her dreaming of Finn again?

Surely not.

Those dreams…were of a past long behind them, a past that saw them torn apart and cast into worlds that were like but also unlike the other's. Such had been the way of their existence. That said, the dreams meant nothing.

Or did they?

She hummed while listening to the water's flow behind her. Maybe her dreams did have meaning. Maybe she needed to stop looking ahead at the goal of slaying the witch and seeing her Watcher's Curse ended just for a moment to sort out these repeated offenses. There would be time while she grabbed a snack and then bathed.

And then she could meet up with Finn later….

Artetris stood and undid her belt, shirt, and pants. She let them all drop to the floor and gathered them up before walking towards the tiny bath of her room and leaving them there. She would let them soak for a bit to get the dirt and small traces of blood from them, least the beasts she hunted catch wind and flee…

In the meantime…she would grab breakfast from the stash outside her room and get prepared for her morning. Today was the day. But first, she needed to sort things out in her head so that Finn did not become a distraction…

Finn suddenly felt the call of nature, and it woke him. He had not gone to the bathroom before bed. His eyes popped open, and he found that Huntress Wizard's treehouse had gone dark. The glowing mushrooms had dimmed with the dawn of day. The calm tranquility of the flowing stream both comforted and tormented him.

He really had to pee…

Finn gently removed himself from the covers so as not to disturb Jake and provoke a new round of teasing. Jake continued to snore in his tiny form, much to Finn's delight as he made his way towards the…bathroom. Finn wondered if it was really okay to pee in her house right outside her bedroom door. He tried not to think about it as he faced away from her room and dropped his pants to pee. Slowly, relief came to his bladder, and he sighed.

The sound of leaves quietly rustled behind him, along with footsteps. Finn's face grew hot as he realized that she was casually walking about, grabbing food from her "pantry" for her morning meal as he peed. He slightly glanced over his shoulder and found her inattentive and unconcerned with his morning piddle. She walked back into her room with a bird in the mouth without once looking his way.

Finn blushed.

She…

Had not been wearing a thing…

Oh. Glob.

Should he have seen that?

Something in him told him to forget and not bring it up unless she did. That was his best bet for…survival.

Finn heaved a sigh, and he quickly covered up before moving further upstream to wash his hands. His heart raced a bit while his nerves jittered. Maybe he had worried for nothing last night; he wondered if Huntress Wizard had simply grown more comfortable with him after having them over. He hoped so. He hoped that it meant that he could talk to her plainly…

Artetris stepped into her room with bird in mouth. Quietly, she sat before her window, her body completely open to the Sun's morning rays and its comforts. She thought about Finn and how seeing him had startled her at first before remembering that she had invited him and the dog to crash. Thankfully, he had not said anything about her being natchy or flipped out about it. That…would not have ended well.

Artetris hummed as she recalled her strange dream about Finn, and her thoughts then wandered to when they were young.

 _Her father set the creature on the ground, and he crawled towards her. The naked, bear-hat wearing babe smiled and laughed as he did. Artetris' heart raced, and she froze in place with fear. Where had he come from?_

 _"_ _Mom?" she nervously called towards the trees._

 _Her mother, Hylea, instantly appeared between her and the toddler and looked around for danger; a hum of surprise escaped the forest watcher as she saw the babe. She cocked her head to the side with interest. The infant paused, cocked his head in mirror as he cooed at Hylea, and then laughed before he kept crawling towards his goal—her. Artetris nervously hid behind her mom as the baby slowly moved around her mother to reach her; as he drew close, she whimpered and move away to keep her mother between them._

 _Her mother hummed with curiosity and gave her father nasty looks while the baby mindlessly continued to follow Artetris around. She whined at her mother's inaction and leapt to her mother's arms to get away… Hylea reflexively wrapped her up protectively but kept her eyes on Manevus, who blushed and quickly waved, realizing the danger he was in…._

 _"_ _I found him crawling on the shore!" her dad exclaimed. Hylea snorted. "I promise you, that's the truth! Your guy wouldn't be so careless as to father a child outside this home, not without your permission, you know? I found that toddler crawling around in the sands with no folks and some old, mystical bread wand thing. It…seems to have broken, so I left it behind._

 _"_ _Anyway, I sought for his parents but found nothing, not even a note. I did see some wooden debris scattered about, so they might have been on a boat or something before that storm hit and crashed it. Your guess is as good as mine on who and where those folks are. So…rather than leave him behind, I brought him to see Arte so they could play."_

 _Artetris looked down at the little creature as he looked up at her with round, bright eyes and a smile. She watched with caution as he climbed upon her mother's leg to stand before eating on his fingers as he just stood and watched her. Artetris looked at him closely and frowned. Why did it have a bear's head by no fur? Was it bald? Why was it bald?!_

 _Her mother chuckled and suddenly pulled as if to move her to the ground. Artetris hissed and spat before burying her face into her mother' shoulder, which made Hylea gently sigh; her father dejectedly hummed. Artetris kept her face hidden with shame. She didn't want to be scared, but she didn't know what that being was or if he was safe._

 _The creature whimpered and whined. Artetris peeked as her mother held her protectively on the head and squatted down. Before Artetris knew what was going on, she heard the baby coo with glee and felt him tug at her cape. She flinched and whined while he muttered with joy; her mother shushed her while her father placed a hand on her head._

 _"_ _It's okay, sweetie," Hylea said softly to her. "He won't hurt you. He's just a little man cub…like you. Well…halfway like you. He's more like your dad, really, only without that wizardry. He might bite, but it won't hurt. He looks to only be mildly teething…"_

 _Artetris grasped tight to her mother as Hylea tried to coax her into letting go. But…she did not want to let go! Not with that thing behind her…_

 _Still…_

 _Thinking of him as similar to herself and her father at least made her peek at the babe, who was now reaching for her hood in fascination._

 _She looked into his eyes and saw that they kind of were like her dad's only with very little magic in them. She looked up at her brown-skinned and green-headed father who proudly grinned. Artetris felt a bit braver seeing their eyes together, and she looked at the baby boy again; the baby looked into her eyes and smiled a mostly toothless smile; the teeth at the bottom were coming in and made him look like a backwards bear, rabbit, man combo. Thinking of him as a rabbit man made her laugh and made her curious. What if the bear fur thing was a hat to make him look fierce and to hide the bunny ears under?_

 _Slowly, she pulled away from her mother and grabbed the baby as he reached for her. Her mother quickly stood and backed away so that she could face him alone. Her father did the same. The boy held both of her hands, and she held his so that he could stand. He squatted excitedly with laughter before sitting. She sat too, and he immediately crawled into her arms and rested his head against her as if wanting to sleep. Artetris hummed at the gesture and softly smiled before holding him back and resting her head against his. He was so squishy and round! He wasn't scary at all!_

 _"_ _What are we…" she started to say before he interrupted her by moving and getting comfortable. She smiled and then started again. "Can we keep him?"_

 _"_ _He's not a pet, sweetie," her mother said. "We'll take him home for now, but don't…get attached to him. I make no promises that he's staying."_

 _"_ _Aww," both Artetris and her father lamented…like normal._

 _She looked at the baby sadly and grasped his soft body; they could not leave him alone. Something would think he was candy and eat him! They…had to save him._

 _Artetris examined his head as he rested and felt around the fuzzy bear-head thing. Much to her excitement, it was a covering after all! A hat! She pulled it off, hopping to see some bunny ears…but instead, she found a head full of short, messy blonde hair. His actual ears were on the side of his head like her dad's. Her father hummed, deeply and looked off towards the direction of the beach. Inside the hat, she spied some letters that she couldn't read. Both he and his hat smelled like seawater. Her dad really had found him by the sea._

 _"_ _Mama, if he came from the ocean," she said, assuming that he was on the beach because of that, "does that make him more like the hyoomans of Beautopia of the undersea caverns? Do you think that he came from there? They wear hats like this!"_

 _"_ _Hmmm," Manevus hummed. "That's not a bad thought sugar…but…"_

 _"_ _He's not from them…" her mother quickly said as she squatted behind them. Hylea took the hat and examined it before putting it back on his head. "This writing says that his name is Finn. They would not have names or writing like this in Beautopia. Plus, they are fish men and women under those hats, a mutation caused by the war almost a thousand years before now. They would not have produced a child without gills."_

 _"_ _He could be a mutant…" Artetris said. "He mutated so much that he looks like how they used to!"_

 _"_ _Perhaps, sweetie," her mother said, softly smiling. "But I'm thinking that maybe he came from a human island where they are all like him. There used to be some here in Ooo before they all left to escape the vampires and other dangerous things here. They went across the sea and never came back, but no one knew what happened to them from there…until now. It seems like somewhere, there are humans surviving and perhaps trying to get back here._

 _"_ _I do wonder what this arrival means…if anything at all. Regardless, we should find a family for him. He can't stay with us."_

 _"_ _Oh…why not?" Artetris wondered. She kind of liked this Finn, the human. He'd be fun to play with, like having a kid brother around. Why couldn't they raise him….? "He could be a forest protector like us, Mama. I bet Dad could take care of him…"_

 _"_ _Oh..well I," her father started to say with a hint of nervousness in his voice._

 _"_ _It's not up for discussion…" her mother firmly said, standing and looking off into the part of the forest that would lead to the ocean. Artetris held her tongue. She knew better than to argue with the one who housed and fed them. "We'll take him home for now. You can play with him there, and we'll watch over him. Your father and I will go look for his vessel, his folks. Something."_

 _"_ _Okay…" Artetris said, not really understanding her mother's thoughts._

 _Her mother took her and passed the sleeping Finn into Manevus' arms. Artetris grasped tight to her mother as she leapt off through the trees for home… Her father flew after them. Artetris couldn't wait to show Finn what could be his new home if her mom changed her mind. She hoped that she did! She hoped so…_

A smile faintly spread beneath the bird in Artetris' mouth as she fondly remembered that time—the infant Finn woke up and chased her through the house that night and slept beside her between her mom and her dad that night; their next couple of days together lead to adventure, one of them the defining thing that gave Artetris her bow. And her curse. After that, her mother sent Finn off into the woods to be snatched up by some other family, and that was it. She never saw him again until eleven years later in Wizard Battle.

Their short time together as children clearly meant nothing now, nothing but longing for when life had been simpler, a time before the Watcher's Curse fell upon her. She quickly realized how much she was smiling and fought it back; what was this feeling?

Those days were behind her.

She had let them go just as she had to let her mother go back in Egress.

She was, after all, Artetris, the Huntress Wizard, Watcher of Forest—of its lands, beasts, and bees.

And she would have to walk that road alone…with none but her mentor beside her. That was the path…she had chosen…. Almost two months had passed since that decision, and she had been so certain of it before.

If she was cursed, at least she could use that ability to save others and keep the forest balanced and safe. Someday, she would find the keys she needed to break the Watcher's curse and start to really make a life of her own. Until then, she would have to guard her heart carefully and not fall prey to the world's whims and joyful temptations that would all lead her to Death before the Curse's end. And she had to end it.

That meant no smiling or longing for the past…

Or Finn.

She hummed again in thought. "No Finn" made her chest kind of hurt. Envisioning Finn, however, made her heart flutter.

What…was going on with her?

Since their talk yesterday, and even before that, their professional arrangement felt confusing. She had hired him for a job. However, that job had taken longer than expected, and during that time they spent together he had made her feel frustrated, sad, compassionate, remorseful, determined, playful, embarrassed, proud, and…exceptional. So now they had become closer than she had ever meant, and she…kind of liked it despite also wanting to run as far from it as she could.

She…had actually invited him into her home! How…had that happened? Surely that had been part of her dreaming! But apparently not; she had, after all, walked right past him…in the natchy. And he had said not a word or reacted.

His non-reaction to her walking by in the natchy amused her, however. She snickered with pride at the bond between them that they had re-forged since that old childhood. The two had come a long way in almost three weeks, especially considering the tundra storm of emotions she had offered him so consistently in their past and at the beginning of their endeavor. The idea that he was, now, just that comfortable with her pleased her, thrilled her even. She…liked that they had managed to grow past the Past, the temple scuffle, and Egress. She like that Finn seemed to enjoy being part of the forest world. He had turned into a real and true friend.

But something bugged her about their companionship, something that she just could not place.

She felt it deeply in her chest again and in her urge to think of Finn and smile, which she resisted firmly.

What…had happened to her? What had happened to Artetris Huntress Wizard, Watcher of the Woods and the hardened path she had chosen?

Artetris played things over in her mind.

She had first felt it at Egress after their fight, and it had kept flickering thereafter whenever they chatted and regaled each other with their tales of their adventures.

She had felt it again when he had offered to serenade her in the trees and while they fought the hydra-worm, and it had cont.

She had felt it more after talking to him about the Flame King and staring into his blue eyes.

She had felt it stronger than ever in the canopy while he played his song to summon the Spirit of the Forest as planned.

And now, she was feeling it completely after seeing him pretty much make himself at home without complaint—after having just dreamed about their past for the umpteenth time—the emotion of wanting him to stay and call her forest his home so that they could see each other even after the Spirit of the Forest was summoned.

Yes… She had so much more she could show his adventurous spirit! She had so much she wanted to show him… just as she had back then when they were kids.

Artetris pressed her hand against her chest and gulped with bird in mouth as it became quite clear what she was feeling.

Fondness. Attraction. Comfort. Desire.

Love.

She was in…love with Finn.

"Whaaaaa…." She lowly muttered aloud, dropping the bird as panic filled her blood. "I can't be that… No… No.. No!"

She couldn't be in love with Finn! No! Not after what had happened with Herakli! No! Herakli's dying image by her own arrow as fired by the Tree Witch flashed in her mind. That…could not be allowed to occur again.

Herakli had just been her friend, and the witch had killed him to spite her! If that tranch somehow caught wind of her loving Finn as more…she wouldn't just kill him. She'd capture him, torment him…and it would be her fault for drawing him into her business… And then…he would die… They'd both die if she got too close.

Finn suddenly called, reminding her that she was not alone.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. She froze. Crap. She had forgotten again… "Is there…something you need help with…or…?"

"No," she quickly called, feeling strange at having him in the house and worrying. "I'm good. Thanks! Just…voice in my head! Wizard stuff!"

"Oh, okay," Finn said. "Cool."

Cool? Cool. Of course he would say cool. Just how often had Ice King—Simon—exhibited such behavior around him for that to be cool? Artetris ran her hands down her face. Who else would say something like "cool" in response to that?

A groan escaped her, and she fell back in full exposure upon the floor.

Why Finn? Why now?

Was it…because of their history? But it was so brief back then!

Was it because her family had been affected by his appearance in both good and bad ways? Were they…somehow connected by some multiversal destiny magic? He had been a catalyst comet, so…maybe. Was there some…spiritual meaning behind her wanting him as she did? Or was it just…natural?

Artetris sighed and stared at her tree ceiling; it shut everything out—from rain to sunshine—perfectly. Only the window allowed sunlight, or rain, to come through, and that was because she, like her mother, allowed it. So how had she who had sworn to never love so long as the Watcher's curse had hold of her— so long as she had not put Artemis in her place—allowed this to happen?

She had focused so much on her parents' deaths and the Watcher's Curse that she had lashed out at the Spirit of the Forest and damaged their bond. She had focused her eyes so fiercely on avenging Herakli and slaying Arbottoma before that she had lashed out and hurt Finn. Running from herself and her feelings had caused so many others grief. She…had tried to shut them out only to be hurtful, and she regretted that immensely, both with the Spirit of the Forest and Finn and with Herakli's fate and folks. She had sworn to never let her feelings rule her again after hurting Finn, so…how had she missed falling in love? What the junk?

Artetris rubbed her head in exasperation as it hurt, but she sat up and grabbed her bird to eat.

How…did not matter. As with the wild coming into her home, what mattered now would be how she handled things moving forward. They still had the spirit to summon. She still had a witch to hunt. She still had a couple of curses to put in check. Nowhere in there did Finn fit, and that was…okay. It was as it needed to be… After all, Finn still had Pheobe, the Flame King; that's who he clearly cared about a lot. And that was cool. She wanted them to make up and begin to spend time together again.

Artetris closed her eyes and turned her attention towards the Sun to feel the light and warmth of a new day, of a new Artetris Huntress Wizard. She was an Artetris in control of her emotions, unlike before with Herakli. She was an Artetris on a mission to hunt the foul witch Arbottoma, and she could not afford to let her desires and wants get in the way of that mission. That was her reality.

She bit her pheasant and brushed the thoughts of love aside.

She could not do that.

She could never be with Finn, not if it meant getting close and losing him. And losing herself too.

Not if…it meant putting his life and the safety of the forest in danger—she had to be vigilant and slay such feelings until she had found and slayed that witch and Artemis' curse. That was her only option…

Artetris recalled her mother getting rid of Finn. She had not understood her mother's thoughts back then; she had not grasped what her mother meant in her reasoning at all. But it all suddenly made sense to her now. Everything…made sense…

 _Artetris sobbed as Finn was carried off with his boom-boom leaf by the two dogs, neither of which knew that they had been there, watching. She buried her face into her father's shoulder, not wanting to look at her mother. Her father held onto her and gently stroked her hair. Hylea, of course, remained silent and said nothing._

 _"_ _There, there, our child…" he said to her. "Your mom had plenty good reason to send him off. You'll understand when you are older…"_

 _"_ _I want to understand now…!" she protested into her father's shoulder because she did. Why had her mother encouraged her to face him and left them to play together only for her to tear him away? "It's not fair… I wanted a baby brother to take care of and teach forest things to. Why am I learning all alone?"_

 _"_ _There's only one forest watcher," her mother responded. Artetris refused to look at her. "That's you… It should not be…but it is what's…true._

 _"_ _We're going home now. Finn will be fine with that family…"_

Her mother had feared her falling in love too young and probably acting on it in their bare way of living. For that reason, Hylea had separated her from Finn and taught her to hold her virginity as sacred…at least until she had turned fifty or older… She had been trying to protect her from an early demise.

In the end, her mom had regretted not letting her go out to meet and see others, particularly one of the first friends she had ever made and the first friend she had to leave behind in her fate as the Watcher. Her message to her in the end had meant to be a remedy, a remedy she had not heard in her pain and anger.

"Live…until you die," her mother had finally said. "Don't die…to live."

But Artetris did not want to die. Back then, losing Finn had hurt, but she kind of appreciated her mother's wisdom considering the circumstances she faced now.

She could not face Death yet; her life…still held no meaning outside of the Curse's existence. So far, it seemed directly tied to the Hunt more than she enjoyed despite quite liking the power. Her mother had told her…to forge her own path, but what if that path included the Hunt and all she could do with it, such as protecting the forest and saving others at the expense of falling in love? What, then, was the right thing to do when it came to loving others?

That, she realized, she would have to choose on her own.

The warm grassy floor brought comfort to her as the morning sun cast its rays through the room's tree-formed window as well as a reminder of where she was and who she had chosen to be, not just for herself but the others who needed her. That sense of purpose and duty washed her ill feelings away.

She was Artetris D. Huntress Wizard. She was the daughter of Hylea Huntress and Manevus Wizard, and she had taken over their role of guiding and guarding the forest. How that role went, of course, depended on the Spirit of the Forest and whether she could see him again. She had to apologize to him. And she had to know…what being the Forest Watcher would mean. She had to face that and him head on and move past it.

Of course she had to; regardless of Artemis and her hunt, regardless of the Watcher's Curse, the forest still remained her home and all its creatures her charges. How, as the child of its previous, had she ever forgotten that? The forest was tied to her blood and their spirits. How had she ever abandoned them?

She had so much lost time to mend…

Artetris sharpened her fingers and ripped the meat of the treated bird from its bones with care. She had a mission, a duty to fulfill, and what mattered was her choosing the path she would take towards its end. Whoever she ended up being as the Watcher would be amazing.

She had not forgotten her mother's words to her to live or her mother's desire to see the curse upon Watcher's ended, however. In anything she did, that would always be her drive, but she wasn't going to run or shut out her fate anymore, she would face it and live just as her mother had asked her.

Artetris' eyes darted towards the wooden figures secured to a nearby jutting root. She stared at them while she ate. To anyone else, they were just odd tree protrusions, but to her, they were her and her parents. The Tree Witch Arbottoma had, thankfully, not touched them for her spells.

The tallest one was her mom. The middle one was her father, and the smallest one was her. She remembered the day her mother had carved them and attached them to their home as sign of their unending bonds to each other and the forest that had brought them all together as family.

Even if they were torn from each other through death, the forest would live on and their spirits with it; that was what her mother had always told her, especially whenever Artetris had asked her why she ever got married if it meant she would die.

"Death will come to all," her mom had said. "Unless you are the Lich… Even then, Death is not a being to fear. He's actually quite cool once you talk to him."

Even those who thought themselves immortal would eventually die her mother had taught her, the Lich notwithstanding. Hylea had not been the first Watcher of the Woods, just the longest reigning. She, of course, would not be the last. Artemis would always find another to suit her whims when one failed her and would not think twice about it or even reflect on the ones who were lost. That was the harshness of serving her for all time. You would love the hunt, but it would never love you back.

Yet, Artetris thought to herself, the Hunt did not just leave her huntress either. She did respect those capable of surviving and continued to lend those individuals power, even those She had cursed to die if that huntress chose a spouse over Her. Artetris felt the Hunt burning fiercely within her, challenging her even just as Artetris challenged Her and her practices. She always had, ever since she left the forest to wait for the Hunt to find another and go away.

(Of course, that…had never happened.)

Artetris hummed to herself as she ate.

Why had Artemis' spirit stayed within her even after she left for Wizard City? Was it…only because she was defiant about it? Was it because she was a virgin or something? Or was there more to it? What would have happened had she taken the dive and ended that virginity in Wizard City? What…would happen if she still chose to?

Again, Artetris thought about Finn. (How could she not when he and the Magic Dog chattered outside her room?) This time, however, she remembered seeing him bathing in the woods and realizing that she had stormed in on him while…exposed. She remembered him…that morning… Her heart leapt in her chest at both visions.

Before, it mattered not how Finn was…"skinned". Now, she could not picture him nude without…smiling. She had it bad… But! It would pass once he had gone on his way.

She liked having Finn around her. For the past two weeks, it had felt good to see him on better terms than they had endured following Wizard Battle and in seeing each other again concerning the Enchiridion and Wizards and Heroes. It felt good to know him beyond that hero role and persona; Finn, like her, was a person—a beast, an…exceptional one—trying to forge his own path in a world that was cold, cruel, and harsh. Yet, unlike her, he never stopped being optimistic or smiling. He never stopped being Finn.

How was she…going to be her?

Finn had definitely inspired her to think about that closely.

Artetris smiled to herself as she ate her pheasant breast in silence, thinking about him…and his tight bod, an excellent hunting companion to be sure! She couldn't wait for them to tackle that boar together and just…have that usual brand of fun; it would be…their last hunt together after all. If they could not summon the Spirit of the Forest today, she would have to move on to other methods of tracking the Tree Witch. Staying with Finn any longer without admitting what she felt or even acting upon it was torture.

And she wasn't certain that she wanted to or should. Their past together meant nothing if it did not include a brighter future, and that, she could not yet see. Even so, she could see them hunting. She could see Finn playing his flute spell…just one last time.

And just one last time did she wish to hear him play for the spirit.

And just once more, she would imagine that he was playing for her….

Artetris finished her pheasant and set the feathers and bones aside. Later, she could craft them into decoration and weapons for selling as was her usual trade. For now, she had to finish readying herself for the hunt…which meant cleaning the blood from her hands and cleansing the troubles of the previous day from her spirit. One misstep would mean meeting Death against the tusks of the mighty boar, and she did not want that for her or for Finn. A sigh of resignation and relief escaped her as she stood up, stretched and moved towards her home's flowing bath.

They had a big day, and she wanted to be clean, not smelly like Finn. She snickered to herself at the thought as she sat in the water. She kind of liked him smelly like that…if only a little.

His old scent…from a slightly happier past made her feel as if she could live and see it again. It made her feel happy. Period. And that…was rare for a wizard, especially one also called "huntress".


End file.
